Is Windermere a nice place for a holiday?

[Literallynoidea]

Just that really. Always wanted to go to the Lake District and wondered if the village of Windermere itself was a good place to stay

Thank you

Kendal’s ok
Bowness horrid
Further up north the better it gets.

I’m from Kendal, and worked in Bowness during tourist season.

Ulverston is nice if you want further out. Cheaper than Kendal/Grange.

If you want Lakes then Windermere is nice but I’d pick Keswick

I live in the Lakes. It’s not like Blackpool at all! It’s busier than lots of places here but more to do. Depends what you want, if you have kids and want to shop, go to restaurants and cafes etc, might work for you. Can get very busy though so but so can Grasmere, Keswick etc

We really like Bowness and without the foreign tourists it should be a bit less busy, plus it has direct access to boat rides, Brockhole with a good ropes thing that your DCs might like and some nice shops and restaurants. We've stayed at a lodge at Fallbarrow a few times, good site for older DCs as less than 10 mins walk into the village so they could have a bit of independence.
I do like Keswick as well.

without the foreign tourists it should be a bit less busy
I think that could be wishful thinking rookiemere. If last year is anything to go by it is going to be busier than ever.
I've never seen so many people in the Lakes as last summer and it carried ln being busy until lockdown was reinstated. I took my son to some sports training in the Windermere area on a wet and windy Sunday afternoon in November and decided to find a cafe in Ambleside to while away the time. I ended up giving up as not only could I not find anywhere to park, but there were people queuing on the pavements outside most cafes. Even if I'd found a parking space I don't think I would have got in anywhere before it was time to go back for DS.It was crazy - like an August Bank holiday weekend only busier!
Even the quieter parts of the region have been very busy compared to normal. It's good for the local economy of course, but bad for anyone hoping to find peace and quiet. I imagine the same will apply to all British holiday destinations though.