The Lakes by Yoo

Wow. If I could add more stars, I most definitely would ! I’ve never been anywhere so relaxing with such gorgeous views and lovely food. We stayed in the cosy room, which was right next to the spa, and only a couple of minutes walk to the bar & kitchen. The room was small, and very cosy ! It had a lovely balcony (not overlooking the lakes, but this wasn’t an issue as we spent most of our time walking or out eating) and the whole room looked like it had been decorated very recently, not a paintwork scratch in sight ! The room got quite warm, but luckily the new Samsung heater/air-con system was brilliant. The only thing I’d change about it, is a more powerful shower, but heyho, it did the job ! The spa was lovely, clean and quiet, and the full body massage was one of the best I’ve had. Our masseuse explained what she’d do, told us the products she’d be using, and asked if there were any specific areas she should focus on or avoid, which I thought was a nice touch. One of the chaps on reception showed us round and showed us where the gym, sauna, steam room etc were, and also provided us with complimentary robes and flip flops for the day All the staff we came across were incredibly friendly and helpful, and the other guests were too The pictures don’t do the place justice at all. It’s a lot bigger and more picturesque than you could possibly capture on pictures and videos ! We loved walking round the lakes and admiring the other lodges I’d come back here in a heartbeat

The cabins are good, nicely decorated and quality furnished. However the bar and restaurant are extremely poor. The bar has very little to offer and missing some basic essentials while the food offering is very strange, breakfast is a choice of baps which was okay However we wanted dinner and were told the only option was pizza which was disappointing

The lakes are beautiful and our room was nicely decorated with drench shower and wildsmith toiletries We had dinner and breakfast in the main bar and restaurant which I have to say was extremely poor service, food was okay we had poached egg with avocado for breakfast and I pizza in the evening so can’t go far wrong. Breakfast service was okay from Ellie but the evening was chaotic which should be embarrassing as it wasn’t busy so no real reason for should a bad experience On checking out we were given lots of guff about change of ownership and a new manager is going to sort it out, on further discussion the new manager was the lady we were served by the night before who was disorganised and barking at the junior staff Overall for the money it isn’t worth it, we have stayed at Forest Holidays in their cabins and had a much better time so sadly we won’t bother returning. I have read the generic replies so please don’t bother with the trite apology asking me to get in touch, just sort out the catering and lower the prices

This review is based on a family lunch at the restaurant. We were charged for items we ordered, but unfortunately never received and to make matters worse were charged a 10% service charge for the privilege. The restaurant wasn’t particularly busy, yet the service was on the slow side. A lovely setting, but left not knowing if we’d go back again.

We had the best breakfast! Everything was cooked to perfection and we had a great morning. Ellen was great, her service was attentive and so welcoming! We really enjoyed our experience and would happily recommend to our friends and family!

The pictures of the hotel part don’t really do it justice and I’d suggest an external shot is added to advertising material. Facilities are really impressive, stylish and design led, albeit the hot tub wasn’t working during our stay. Overall, I definitely come back and stay in one of the larger properties.