What business travel looks like, at Lakeside Hotel, for 2019 & how to completely unwind…

During a business trip, most people find it near impossible to stop the stresses and strains of work life and hit the relaxation button.  While embarking on the road, finding a happy medium between job satisfaction and total switch-off is tricky to achieve.  Packing for the trip, organising meetings, planning your journey and the whole anxiety of it all can create a stressful experience.  It only takes a handful of changes to your routine to reduce the tensions of busy business minds.  With these simple tips on how to do just that – I hope you find a more mindful way of business travel this year.

Unplug & Sleep

Whilst it is not feasible to unplug yourself fully from mobiles and laptops, and any other forms of technology, try dedicating your evening to yourself.  Be strict about a technology-free zone curfew and truly embrace the comforts of your luxurious room.  Perhaps, that deadline might be just before sampling the new 2019 winter menu, at the Lakeview Grill Restaurant, for a visionary fine dining experience.  Then afterwards find solace within the Conservatory for a glass or two of something crisp and chilled, to shake off the busy day’s schedule.

Take time to soak your cares away in one of Lakeside’s baths to rest your mind.  For we all know that there is nothing better than clearing your schedule, for a spot of you time, amongst that heat and those bubbles.  Just for these kinds of moments, I always find downloading an audiobook or a relaxing playlist always helps time to just slip by.  A new focus breaks the mundane pattern of the travelling life mould and gives us a much-needed interruption from the norm.

Like me, you may have a tendency to be creative in the evening, before you turn off the bedside lamp and say goodbye to the day.  A time when you feel the urge to grab your laptop and type away your ideas.  Try packing a notebook, they make wonderful travel companions and eradicate any impulses to check those lurking emails.  Emails that – let us be honest – can wait until morning.  With Lakeside’s elegant list of rooms, their Hungarian goose-down duvets and feather pillows, you are sure to enjoy sleeping by the Lake.  However, even in the serenity of this hotel, get into the habit of packing your eye mask and earplugs to ensure you have a more mindful and restful sleep.  Then arise fresh and clear-headed for the hotel’s famous Cumbrian Breakfast, the most important meal of the day, which will make sure you are always meeting-ready.  Find reassurance in the super-fast fibre optic WIFI, that is forever available, for when those emails need to be sent and, just as importantly, answered

Hideaway from the Hectic

By choosing the Lakeside as your hotel destination, you are picking a place to briefly escape the busy schedule and hustle and bustle, by the tranquillity of the Lake.  Due to being a mere fifteen minutes away from the M6, this opulent hotel makes for an extremely stress-free journey and an ideal location for all business travellers.  It is a hideaway that you will see yourself loving all day long, which is essential for those calm moments of recouping, after waves of maybe feeling overwhelmed by the trip.

Find sublime solace at the Lakeside’s Aveda Spa, which is a glass-wrapped haven that captures the Lakeshore view of Windermere perfectly.  Take a dip in the heated pool before discovering the delights of the steam room and sauna.  All treatments provide a breath-taking journey of pure indulgent relaxation, which is only a hop, skip and jump away from your room.  Be kind to yourself and book an appointment with the spa’s professional therapists for uniquely mindful techniques.  If you find yourself stumbling upon a day off, during your stay, I recommend their Spa Day & Afternoon Tea experience package for a taste of tranquillity, unusual tea infusions and delicious cake combinations.

Take in your surroundings and perhaps partake in an amble on the hills around the hotel, as the stunning views of the Lake are sure to tempt you.  There are a pretty plethora of local walks, straight from the Lakeside, which all amount to the perfect evening or morning stroll. I particularly like the feeling I get when I walk the Finsthwaite to the Steam Railway route after an early breakfast.  An ideal two and a half hours excursion, for the days when late afternoon meetings are in your trusty diary.  This walk encompasses a beautiful and scenic path through woodlands and meadows.  With stops for views at High Dam and Newby Bridge and finishes at the nostalgic Steam Railway.  Even if you do not want to venture far, a potter around the hotel’s estate, gardens and jetty will leave you feeling utterly at ease.  Fresh air is such a healer for cloudy minds and, somehow, always seems to be just the tonic for your soul and not to forget liberating!

In Reflection

It always amazes me how much appreciation I have for luxury hotels such as this, when my stay comes to an end and I am homeward bound.  The superior service I am met with, the impeccable facilities and the attention to detail all amount to a stress-free trip.  A feeling I would not get in any other hotel in the Lake District – where I could potentially be caught off-guard in unfamiliar surroundings.  This hotel forever feels like home to me, which is priceless when work-life is demanding and sometimes relentless.  I have learnt that it is just as important to be determined in your private life, as well as your work life.  Be determined to be the best at what you do, but also be dedicated to finding time to switch-off and reset.  The trick is to find the balance that suits you and stick to it.  It all starts with letting the wonderful staff, at Lakeside, take care of all the particulars – so all that is left for you to do is enjoy the sense of freedom that this hotel brings.