Play it again Sam, while we relax...

If you’d have told me I’d be soaking up the rays in an outdoor hot tub, or topping up my tan with a large glass of chablis on a sun soaked terrace I’d think I was heading to some far-flung destination.

But this little piece of paradise is less than an hour’s drive from my front door.

The Low Wood Bay Resort nestles on the shores of Windermere and is a familyfriendly getaway in the heart of the Lake District.

The resort – just 10 minutes drive from the centres of Bowness and Ambleside – boasts a leisure club, with a 50ft pool as well as a gym, dance and fitness classes room and a squash court for the energetic.

The leisure club also has a sauna, steam room, outdoor hot tub and beauty salons offering a range of treatments.

There is also a watersports centre where visitors can take part in a range of activities from waterskiing and canoeing to the more sedate rowing or leisure boats.

However, the main pull of this shore-side retreat is the view.

The main restaurant overlooks the marina, where sailing boats and motorboats are moored up ready for rental.

The smart and modern restaurant has large French doors opening out on to a lawned terrace where the children could play and we could relax with a glass of chilled wine, watching the sun set over the lake.

Travelling with children can often mean a few compromises, but the Low Wood Bay Resort is well equipped to provide family fun and a bit of peace and relaxation for the parents,

Interconnecting rooms spared us the holiday dilemma of going to bed early ourselves or dealing with tired, grouchy children the following day.

Admittedly, the decor was a little dated and had some interesting quirks (I’ve yet to fathom why anyone would need a telephone wired into the bathroom), but the convenience of having our own space, coupled with the peace of mind that the children were within earshot, made up for that.

And there was no fighting over beds, either. On arrival, each child was greeted with a named welcome pack on their bed, containing sweets, puzzles, crayons and details about Sam’s Club, the resort’s kids’ club.

Sam’s Club members are given a special children’s menu in the restaurant and can take part in activities such as the fun swim in the pool, daily.

However, we decided to take advantage of the glorious sunshine and take a boat out on the lake before stopping off at The Windermere Ice Cream Co to take our pick from the 36 flavours on offer.

As the glorious sun shone down over the Lake District we headed back to the hotel to cool down in the pool 
before dinner. As we watched the sun setting over the lake with a large, chilled glass of wine, we unwound amid beautiful scenery and relaxing 
surroundings.