A Lake District boutique hotel has been ranked inside the top 50 in the UK.
The Cottage in the Wood in Whinlatter Forest near Keswick has been ranked 39th on the Top 50 Boutique Hotels in the UK for 2021.
The inaugural ‘Top 50’ list, supported by Taylors of Harrogate, highlights some of the best places to stay in the UK and has been compiled using votes from more than 100 industry experts.
This latest high-profile announcement comes after the gourmet hideaway was named as 24th best restaurant in the UK as part of the National Restaurant Awards in August.
The team at The Cottage in the Wood discovered their exact position on the list at a special ceremony held at The Star Inn The City, York yesterday – where they joined fellow top hoteliers from a wide array of establishments, ranging from country estates to modern townhouses, along with restaurant with room style retreats.
The criteria for being recognised as a ‘boutique’ operator included having between five and 50 rooms and a unique food and drink offering.
Co-owner Liam Berney says, “To us ‘boutique’ means creating a unique and personalised experience for guests and we have worked really hard to create our foodie escape – from our Michelin-starred food to our cosy rooms and exceptional service – all set against the stunning natural landscape of England’s only true mountain forest. It’s an experience that is hard to find, so we are delighted to have been recognised for that.”
The Cottage in the Wood provides guests with a special ‘restaurant with rooms’ experience, combining a Michelin-starred restaurant with rooms in a fully restored 17th-century coaching inn perched 1,000 ft within Whinlatter Forest.
It was transformed by owners Kath and Liam Berney into one of Cumbria’s leading restaurants with rooms from 2002.
Kath and Liam were joined by chef director Ben Wilkinson and his partner Restaurant Director Monika Zurwaska in 2017 and the restaurant was awarded its first Michelin star in the autumn of 2019.
