An award-winning country house hotel on the doorstep of the Lake District is looking for a new owner.

Offers in the region of £2,500,000 are being sought for The Villa Levens near Brettargh Holt roundabout.

(Image: Colliers) The renowned and superbly appointed award winning AA four-star country house hotel boasts a Rosette for culinary excellence.

It is being marketed by business and real estate advisors Colliers on behalf of private clients.

The hotel is located in the South Lakes on the fringe of the Lake District National Park and is easily accessible from the M6 motorway.

The 140 year old Victorian house was originally built as a family home for the Brettargh-Yates family and was designed by local architect Joseph Bintley in 1871.

It passed into the hands of Sir Charles Walker whose passion for orchids led him to build the greenhouses that still remain. 

When he died in 1920 the estate was auctioned off and it became the Levens Hotel.

It was sold to the Sisters of the Sacred Heart and became a convent in 1944.

Two years later, the property was being used as a home for single mothers and saw around 30 to 40 adoptions arranged each year.

From the 1970s, The Salesian Sisters of St John Bosco ran the house and grounds as a retreat for youth groups until 2012.

Most recently businessman Simon Rigby bought the estate in 2014 and transformed it into the hotel that it is today. 

Mr Rigby died in August 2020 and Victoria Rigby became CEO of The Rigby Organisation, which owns The Villa Levens.

Sitting in around 14.5 acres of landscaped grounds with ample car parking, the hotel benefits from 22 individually designed letting bedrooms all with en-suite facilities.

The Villa Levens has substantial public areas including a restaurant with 38 covers and adjoining brasserie/orangery with 42 covers, as well as a public bar and lounges.

There is also extensive function space, including the Brettargh Suite which can cater for up to 120 people and The Pavilion which is a purpose built self-contained function suite which can accommodate up to 250 guests.

The listing said: "There is obvious potential (subject to planning) to extend to provide a spa, additional meeting rooms and bedrooms, giving a total of 50-plus letting bedrooms."

Net turnover for the year ending December 2023 was £1,129,544 and the turnover is forecast to increase to the year-end 2024, said Colliers.

 Julian Troup, Head of UK Hotels Agency at Colliers said: “The Villa Levens has been the subject of a continual and extensive programme of works and it is now presented to the market in superb condition.

"The business is already well established but still offers a good deal of potential to further develop the solid trading base. The Lake District continues to attract considerable interest from customers and buyers, and we feel sure The Villa will appeal to a diverse range of different types of buyers.”