The Riverside

The Riverside descritpion

In Kendal town center, the Riverside Hotel is a 17th-century building with a state-of-the-art recreation club. Rooms have river views, and Windermere and the Yorkshire Dales are a 15-minute drive away.
Most of the rooms have views of the River Kent. Features include satellite TV, tea and coffee, a private bathroom and free Wi-Fi. Free parking is also provided.
The Riverview Restaurant uses local produce, some of which comes from the hotel’s own Victorian kitchen garden.
The recreation club includes a heated swimming pool, sauna, steam room, hot tub, gym and exercise studio.
Kendal Train Station is 800 feet away, and guests are a 10-minute drive from highway M6.

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Facilities of The Riverside

Outdoors ：Sun Deck

Pets ：Pets are allowed. Charges may apply.

Activities ：Sauna | Fitness Center | Hot Tub | Turkish/Steam Bath | Indoor Pool (all year)

Food & Drink ：Restaurant | Bar | Breakfast in the Room

Internet ：Free!WiFi is available in all areas and is free of charge.

Parking ：Free!Free private parking is available on site (reservation is not needed).

Reviews for The Riverside

Review 1：No complaints whatsoever.

Review 2：The staff were professional, friendly and couldn't be more helpful. It was great to feel so welcome with the dogs in tow. The food was good for a DBB deal and there was plenty of it. The leisure facilities were great with perfectly clean changing rooms. The standard bedroom was comfortable and spacious. Happy to return.

Review 3：Just a shame about lift due to recent floods. We were on too floor. But wouldn't put us off going again.

Review 4：Lovely suite. Food amazing. Brilliant views.

Review 5：Location idyllic. Staff super. Rooms incredibly comfy and clean. Food good but not quite same standard as everything else. Granted it was winter, during storm Desmond even, but decor- wise the dining room would benefit from being more cosy & actually less "hotel-like." This was a minor issue since everything else was great. I can see how it may be different in summer & it certainly doesn't put me off visiting again. ...in fact nothing us more certain.

Review 6：Luke warm, cooked breakfast buffet. The meal in the Tannery Bar was slightly overpriced for what you got.

Review 7：Pleasant staff, excellent location only two minutes walk to the center. Free undercover car parking.

Review 8：Drafty bedroom window.

Review 9：Very good location, close to town centre,friendly and welcoming staff, relaxing bar area, really enjoyed our stay and would stay here again.

Review 10：I thought the breakfast sausage was a bit herby for breakfast

Review 11：Lovely reception welcome, comfy room with river view. We ate in the bar, quiet atmosphere, nice food and plenty of breakfast choices.

Review 12：Room was freezing. The radiator was in a box with little vents cut into it, was located under the window through which a force 10 gale was blowing all covered by the curtains. Whatever heat was given out when straight out the window. Even leaving the bathroom door open with towel rail on full blast did nothing. Hate to think how cold it would be mid winter.

Review 13：The radiator in the bathroom was on permanently and this couldn't be turned off.

Review 14：Loved how dog friendly the hotel was and the facilities were fantastic.

Review 15：Breakfast is a bit disappointing, okay if you like the standard full English, but could be a bit healthier/modern.

Review 16：Good location, nice sauna, jaccuzzi & pool.

Review 17：Breakfast was cold one day but was included in room price. Car park a bit tight.

Review 18：Nice location just outside town centre but within easy walk and overlooking the river. Clean and comfortable.

Review 19：The weather!

Review 20：I couldn't fault the staff at all.. Under difficult circumstances due to seriously bad/hazardous weather they did everything they could to help us and understand our situation!

Review 21：BREAKFAST average GET A NEW TOASTER too slow. SOME FRESH FRUIT WOULD BE NICE AND HOT PLATES.

Review 22：GREAT location staff pleasant especially reception rooms very clean and spacious

Review 23：'Hot section' of breakfast wasn't that appealing, most of it sweating in containers. Rest of breakfast great esp selection.

Review 24：Location, 'charlie' on reception very welcoming. Corridor of room near dining room looked to a newer standard, would have been better if our corridor/room would have been modernised to match.

Review 25：Sorry to say but the hole hotel could do with a make over,window frames painting? our bathroom door was damaged no7 Larger car park required (Hard to park), House keeping didn't clean/refresh our room.

Review 26：Location good and helpful staff. Breakfast good but need better plate warmer?

Review 27：Upon arrival 9pm ish, with a small boy asleep in my girlfriends arms, myself with two big suitcases struggling to get through the door, not one of the 3 male staff in reception offered to help. Also having asked about the pool times being told children were not allowed in after 8pm (which was fine) we went down at 7pm to use the pool only to be told there was a class on and wouldn't finish till 7.45pm so wasn't happy about the lack of info

Review 28：The room was clean, there was an excellent view of the river, the facilities were excellent as were the food (room service)

Review 29：Car park next door has only limited parking and we had to park 3 mins walk away on he first night

Review 30：Good location and handy to have pool facilities on site. Nice breakfast.

Review 31：I have no bad comments I do feel that the property is fully in need of a little bit of TLC is certain areas

Review 32：Everything about this day staff very helpful food extremely good location superb could not fault at all

Review 33：The room we were in was like a furnace. Door to the room was marked like the veneer had been taken off by something which had been stuck to it. We weren't informed there was a charge for the lockers so was unprepared when we visited the leisure facilities.

Review 34：Great views and great central location with parking.

Review 35：Not a lot of parking considering the size of the hotel. WiFi wasn't great unless sitting in the bar area.

Review 36：Room was huge and all newly refurbished. Great choice for breakfast. Handy location perfect for access to lake district. On site leisure facility's were good. The bar was also good.

Review 37：The bedrooms were very spacious, overlooking the river. Near to the town of Kendal to browse and see the sights. Central for the lakes only 8 miles yo Windermere which was really handy

Review 38：Parking was a bit tight but because of the hotel's location, there is limited space for parking.

Review 39：Very nice hotel, with good facilities and helpful staff. Good walking distance to town.

Review 40：Room temperature was very warm and there was no way to adjust this. There was a fan provided and we kept the window open.

Review 41：Scenic location, close to the train station.

Review 42：southern fried chicken should be taken off the menu . . . hair, dry, pink, awful could not eat

Review 43：nice room very clean. good breakfast with lovely views of the river. friendly helpful staff. undercover parking for hotel

Review 44：Cleanliness could be better, especially in the bathrooms. Staff professional but not overly friendly or welcoming

Review 45：Locations fantastic, near the train station and shops. Nice big rooms

Review 46：Minor point but the self serve (Full English) breakfasts were not hot, neither were the plates. I realise some guests forget to replace the food covers but the food was not hot enough even when I got an early breakfast. On a busy Saturday breakfast, there were no sausages or fried eggs available over the 20-30 minutes I was in the room, only a small amount of scrambled egg.

Review 47：Location alongside river. Plenty of parking spaces. Easy reach of town centre on foot. Free wifi. Easy check in.

Review 48：room on the top floor was a little too hot despite turning radiator off and opening window but fan found in wardrobe helped. Extractor fan in en-suite was rather noisy but switched off quickly. Just detracted very slightly from otherwise lovely stay and would certainly go back.

Review 49：Great situation, near station, riverbank and easy walk to town centre. Pleasantly quiet hotel. Look forward to using pool and exercise facilities next visit. Spacious bar area where I had a tasty snack. Breakfast was very adequate with cooked options and warm croissants. Did not have dinner in restaurant so could not comment

Review 50：Nothing

Review 51：The hotel is in a great location, the staff were all lovely and very obliging. The food was lovely breakfast to die for and the dining room manager and staff were great. I think the dining manager is a very professional person that kept his cool with a very rude guest that was totally out of order !! Im not sure how he didn't punch him I think I might have !!! some people don't know how to act in a civilised way they are rude and should stay at home. The hotel staff gave great service in all areas of this hotel so thank you we had a great time.

Review 52：Staff are good only problem was a bad smell from dogs in the lobby if I knew I would have avoid it .otherwise good people of course you can't compare uk hotels to international hotels uk hotels are like that small lobbies and facilities but clean.

Review 53：Staff very helpful ,nice room overlooking river kent ,lovely breakfast .biscuits, hot chocolate, horlicks in room aswell as tea and coffee .children loved the swimming pool. Sauna spa nice for the adults

Review 54：Room was a little tired and there were wrappers on the floor from a previous guest that hadn't been cleaned away.

Review 55：Great location, loved the on site gym and pool facilities.

Review 56：Took several attempts before we got a parking space, one of the reasons we picked the hotel was for the parking and the garage was always full. The bathroom had not been cleaned properly, there was poo around the toilet and multiple pubes in the bath and around the floor.

Review 57：The location was nice and peaceful. The spa facilities were exactly what we wanted. Breakfast was very good.

Review 58：Really need to sort both restaurants out.Need total refurbishment the staff not well trained.Did not eat in house smell of chlorine in the Tanyard bar awful.

Review 59：Excellent bathroom beds.Swmming pool excellent Having new Windows fitted.

Review 60：Lovely family hotel,staff very good and helpful,lovely breakfast very, clean room 115 spacious ,biscuits ,hot chocolate and oval tines in rooms besides tea and coffee ,children loved the swimming pool .differently will be going back to the riverside hotel very soon.

Review 61：Pool small and had child swimming lesson so gave up trying to swim, smoking on the outside bar terrace very unsociable being an non-smoker I had to leave as smoke was blown into my face making me feel nauseous, No staff in the breakfast room spoke to us so we had to find tea coffee etc and gathered it was self service it would of helped if we had been addressed.

Review 62：Room was pleasant, breakfast was good, bar staff friendly, swimming pool and area clean,

Review 63：The overall cleanliness, public area windows, skirting etc had cobwebs & dirt dating back for some time. If the public areas are neglected what else is? The room we were allocated was nothing special & small for the price. The dining room menu was limited, a fixed price 3 course meal?

Review 64：The location.

Review 65：We arrived for dinner in the Tannery at 8.30pm, dinner is served until 9pm but we were told if we needed to have desert and/or coffee, that we would need to book it with the main meal. They apparently turn the coffee machine off at 9pm!! Dinner was good for my partner with fish and chips but my lettuce had been washed and not dried so therefore the plate was swimming with watery balsalmic vinegar...shame really as it would have been a nice salad otherwise. We were asked if all was well and explained the situation. The waiter then offered to make us a coffee which we decided against and had drinks instead. He then very kindly came over and offered us a free drink of the same each which we accepted with grateful thanks.

Review 66：Location is beautiful Pool is nice but a little on the small side especially if there are more than a couple of people in it

Review 67：thought overhaul the hotel was overpriced. The buffet breakfast on the sunday morning kept running out and we waited about 25 minutes for some bacon.

Review 68：staff were very helpful. Hotel was clean. Second room we had was much bette,r larger and river view as requested.

Review 69：Beds hard, rooms v warm and pillows v hard.

Review 70：Service was great and there is nice bar and lounge onsite. Great parking on site if you can get in else their is overflow near by. Location is good.

Review 71：disappointed with choice of bar meals - some of the staff were very good & friendly-some not so good

Review 72：it was convenient for walking into town,car park was handy-lovely to sit out by the river

Review 73：Some of the 'hot' breakfast items were on the cold side. Bath plug broken.

Review 74：Friendly staff sorted out a room when my reservation was erroneously cancelled by booking.com. Very convenient for the station and town, nice big room overlooking river. Lots of choice for breakfast.

Review 75：Chef refused to cook hash browns after they had been eaten after 920 even though breakfast was up until 10 00. He had an attitude problem.

Review 76：Location good

Review 77：The fact that we were charged for tap water without us being made aware of it. The smell of the dirty steam room. The low temperature of the sauna. The damp smells throughout the hotel. The sound of soil pipe from other guests rooms. The poor quality and flavour of the vegetarian sausages. Overall poor value for money. Jacuzzi could have done with a change of water. Lack of fresh air in the building. Either standards need raising or the price needs lowering.

Review 78：That it was next to the river. The friendly staff and the jacuzzi was average.

Review 79：some of the staff were very young and inexperienced, particularly the bar staff, used his finger to swipe the froth of the top of my glass, put to much ice in the glass and could not get the whole bottle in (cider) so he put in what he could and binned the rest ? Tea/coffee pots available at breakfast, not having to get up to top up your cup.

Review 80：Location, friendly staff, facilities.

Review 81：That we didn't book another night

Review 82：The staff were very friendly and the atmosphere very relaxed. The pool area was a nice treat and the outside terrace over looking the river was great for a drink . The room was comfortable and beds very comfy. Great location too

Review 83：This hotel was very grubby throughout. The room we stayed in was also dirty. The level of cleaniness was very poor. The cleaners only came in and fixed the bed and changed towels during our 5 night stay. The toilet was never cleaned & there was a smell out of both bins even though bags were changed. The window was filthy in the room and the surfaces were full of dust.we were lucky to have our cups replaced when we got back.the room in general stank as did the corridors and the dark dingy lift. I can't imagine who the managers were in the hotel as the staff esp the cleaning staff got away with a lot. Breakfast was also disapointing no pots of tea coffee or toast offered. We had to push ourselves to go down in the mornings. I'm not sure how this hotel got a three star we were definitely not happy customers. And the photos of the hotel all clean and nice on the site are misleading. Too expensive for what was offered.

Review 84：Noisy neighbours - dog barking at 10.30pm! Breakfast a little chaotic. Cooked food ran out on both days. Toasters difficult to use and didn't brown toast at all quickly. My table and newspaper was cleared away while I was waiting for my toast to cook!

Review 85：Fantastic location with wonderful view of river and bridge. Very comfortable room with king size bed.

Review 86：Tiny cramped ensuite. Very firm bed. Drafty and noisy room. Parking space fills up quickly.

Review 87：Reasonably easy walking distance into Kendal with access to shops. Free parking and efficient wifi

Review 88：room above a noisy air vent from swimming pool which was disruptive and then there was banging on the last night that went on all night.

Review 89：location and decoration of rooms

Review 90：It wasn't a bad experience but...we loved the Riverside setting. Ichecked the hotel out on Google and on Google Earth. We arrived on alovely evening nd decided to have a drink from the bar on the riversideterrace. The white wine on offer was of poor quality. The barman did tryto help us but it just wasn't drinkable. The terrace overlooking theriver was occupied by smokers and we soon left. I suggest that you makethis as much a non-smoking area as the inside of the hotel. We non-smokers are punished as soon as we sit outside. So, we went elsewhereand spent our money.

Review 91：The location and ease with which we found it.

Review 92：Car parking was horrendous as the spaces are very small and hard to manouevre into and used by leisure centre visitors, several of which had parked over the marked lines.

Review 93：We stayed in The Bellingham suite which was fantastic and great value for money. Good central location for town centre. Free use of leisure facilities included.

Review 94：Usage of pool facility on using never got told Aqua aerobics on and took up all the pool!! Would of been good to be told before entering.

Review 95：Quiet hotel with good parking and close to town centre nice walks and easy public transport to surrounding places. Good breakfast.

Review 96：Very noisey lift near room Breakfast poor - the toasters hardly worked and the staff seemed to think I should wait - too busy chatting to bother to do any work

Review 97：Location

Review 98：The changing areas in the gym / pool really need updating.

Review 99：The food in the bar both nights was of a good standard. The river view from our room was lovely. The requests I made were met.

Review 100：Parking: not easy to find space. As I have a mobility issue, it was important that I could find one nearby. One-way system a nightmare initially. Think hotel could give customers information on the one-way system. Bathroom, very small; even difficult to sit on the loo. luckily, I am not tall.

Review 101：Being able to sit out side at the river Good food and friendly staff

Review 102：Food overpriced and not up to the standard of the rest of the hotel. Also seemed to be short of staff on the Sunday night

Review 103：Good location, pleasant ambiance. Room very comfortable

Review 104：The hotel is in a central Kendal location with good parking. The room was spacious and comfortable. The outside bar area has a lovely view overlooking the river. The breakfast was delicious with plenty of choice.

Review 105：our bad experience was nothing to do with the hotel, but because of the widespread one-way system throughout Kendal, it took nearly an hour and a half going round the streets to access it; asking about four local people for directions didn't help as they found it difficult to describe a way of getting there.

Review 106：the friendly helpfulness, and quality of food.

Review 107：There was one very rude member of staff on the bar who was obviously new, swore twice when he was serving me and didnt even end up eating there in the end.

Review 108：Bed was so comfy, great location,

Review 109：Lovely hotel situated on the river, lovely view, breakfast very good, staff friendly, bar staff was fantastic and really looked after us.. Will come again x

Review 110：The duvet on the beds seemed to be winter weight and in fact we removed the duvet cover and used it as a blanket as it was far too warm to use the duvet. there was a blanket provided in the wardrobe but that was also heavy, A lighter duvet would have sufficed.

Review 111：The hotel is situated very near the centre and a very important point had it's own underground parking. The breakfast was very good. Also there were plenty sachets of tea and coffee in the room.

Review 112：Room was near pump room for pool and was noisy at night. Staff assured us that on our next visit they would ensure we would have a quieter room.

Review 113：Comfort , convenience and location. Food was very good as was staff.

Review 114：The room (01) was noisy until quite late at night as it is very close to an access corridor to other rooms and the lift. The bathroom was a bit black and mouldy in places around the sealant. The bedroom was ok...maybe needs updating a little. The pool was nice if a little small, but ok for a quick dip before work

Review 115：The location was in a beautiful area. The bistro/pub was nice, especially as you can sit outside right next to the river. The bed was comfortable. The bathroom was spotlessly clean and had been updated but as already mentioned...the sealant was black and mouldy in places.

Review 116：They call the spa "the sanctuary", but if you are going to give childrens swimming lessons until 8 at night, this isn't exactly relaxing for other guests!

Review 117：Staff were friendly

Review 118：The WiFi was unreliable, the breakfast was limited (especially considering how much one paid for the accommodation), the tiles in the bathroom could do with thorough cleaning.

Review 119：The hotel was conveniently located near the train station and the town center. The view from the bedroom was lovely: it faced the river. The pool area was a good addition to the hotel, especially on a rainy day.

Review 120：I personally felt that the spa facilities closed to early on an evening. TV remote didn't work. (minor detail)

Review 121：Having a spa in the hotel was a luxury for me and we both thoroughly enjoyed using it. Being close to the centre was really handy. Free parking was a big bonus to.

Review 122：Road side rooms are noisy Wifi reception was poor Tea pots & better toasters are needed at breakfast If pets are allowed, need to fully consider guests with pet allergies

Review 123：Location is best feature

Review 124：Cobwebs on the window in our room. No-one cleared our table at breakfast so we ended up with a pile of crockery on the table from cereals, grapefruit etc while we were having our cooked breakfast.

Review 125：Room was a good size and looked directly over the river. En suite was well equipped, good shower. Restaurant & bar also overlooked the river. Good location.

Review 126：Nothing was wrong with the riverside hotel

Review 127：Bedroom/ bathroom lovely and a great view over the river , good value for money . Free covered car park .

Review 128：Breakfast was cold. Didn't look appetising. Poor access to lift for disabled and young family. Chair lift made stairs awkward and unsafe.

Review 129：Close to town. Friendly staff.

Review 130：What river view! ,could do with new windows couldnt see out. Riverside could do with a good makeover. Bar menu limited specials choice never changed in four days!

Review 131：Great location

Review 132：Friendly staff, nice location. Went to Abbots Hall, a super Gallery and the museum and then walked back by the river to our hotel. We really enjoyed our stay in Kendal and want to go back to use this hotel as a base to explore the Lake District again next year. It was that good.

Review 133：There was a number of people with dogs staying at this hotel , don't think this is right from a hygiene point of view,

Review 134：Hotel in nice position by river, meals very nice, staff very friendly.

Review 135：Honestly the only thing I didn't like was a old lift haha

Review 136：We stopped in the Bellingham suite and was worth every penny we spent there. Bathroom was also lovely would recommend to anyone and we will both be going again. Also the food in the downstairs bar was was good portions and worth the money you paid. They also had a good spread in the morning from continental to a cooked breakfast

Review 137：Booked our evening meal for 8.30pm ( couldn't be accommodated earlier ) and then told we had to choose our 3 courses quickly as the kitchen closed at 8.45pm

Review 138：The room and pleasant receptionist to book us in.

Review 139：No complaints about the hotel but very noisy other guests from another country at 4 am in the morning slamming doors to corridors and talking very loud there should be signs on the doors to say please respect other guests after 11pm and be quiet ,especially in Japanese

Review 140：Close to town centre ,near the river with lovely walks by it.Good bus service to other towns .

The Fine Print

Please note that the ground floor bedrooms and lift are closed from until March 2016 due to renovations. We are sorry for any inconvenience this may cause.