My wife and I have stayed here a number of times now and the hotel is consistantly excellent.
We prefer a hotel for the facilities and privacy and the Salutation provides this yet still provides charming and peronal service. Great pool, sauna steam room and gym with an outdoor hot tub which was great fun relaxing whilst watching the night sky and snow. Hotel is also dog friendly which is a boon for walkers that often take their pets.
Prices are reasonable especially considering the first rate breakfast. Location is ideal in the centre of Ambleside close to other restaurants and shops and of course you are surrounded by great walks so you dont need to move your car.
Overall, this place is a hidden gem and we would recommend it.

We stayed here for 2 nights in Jan 2012 as a mini honeymoon. No reservation was made, we just called in on the off chance they would have a room and try elsewhere if not. The receptionist was very welcoming and friendly, offered a club room in the seperate lodge and at a very reasonable B&B rate, if not the £45 they're advertising (possibly for the main hotel). The hotel has obviously recently under gone a refurbishment which has been done well. As a base, this is ideal, free parking and in the centre of Ambleside. The room was a good size as was the bathroom with everything you'd expect.
For us, it was a little souless. The bar area and 'library' are well appointed but you could be anywhere. I was hoping for cozy and intimate. There is another sitting area which is jammed with chairs and sofas and looks over crowded which is a shame.
The bedroom was very nice, but again lacked individuality - you could be anywhere in the world. The bathroom was lovely with a big jet tub style bath (you can hear when your neighbour uses it) and over head shower. The downside of this is you can not avoid getting your hair wet and there were no shower caps. Some of the finishes were not quite up to scratch but the whole hotel was clean, well looked after and had all you needed.
Breakfast was wonderful - have the full English! A good selection on the cold buffet plus other hot food, all of which was lovely.
All the staff we met were very friendly and made us feel welcome. All in all a super base from which to explore but not if you want to immerse youself in the local.

My boyfriend and I stayed in this hotel for two nights in the club double room, which was absolutely flawless. The room was spacious well laid out and nipping clean - especially the bathroom, which I am usually very picky about! The walk in shower and Jacuzzi bath was top notch too! We had a terrace, which we were unable to use due to the weather but in the summer I would imagine it would be fabulous to use especially with the stunning views the room had. The hotel staff were very accommodating pleasant and welcoming, as were the staff in local pubs and restaurants. The situation of the hotel was great as there were surrounding shops in the small quaint village (mostly walking shops but we used the tesco express and boots for essentials), with lake Windermere just a 20-minute walk away. We can't comment on the food as we didn't eat in the hotel, however the local Indian restaurant 'Spice of Bengal' was beautiful, very fairly priced and had exceptional service for those intending to eat out too. The icing on the cake and our favourite part of the hotel were the spa facilities especially the outdoor hot tub, again immaculately cleaned and very modern.
Finally I requested a specific room I had seen on the photographs of the hotel and requested to be in the hotel's main building rather than a lodge and both of these were carried out which I was extremely pleased with.
We had a truly amazing weekend and cannot WAIT to return!

My husband and I stayed at the Salutation for a weekend break and found it to be very pleasant and welcoming. We had a club room in the lodge with a nice view to the stream. Not the largest room I've been in, but it was comfortable with a good bed and very quiet. In the club room it was nice to have the dressing gowns and slippers. Free newspaper but you have to collect it from Reception in the main building - fine if you're heading to the breakfast room.

Breakfast was excellent - many choices with everything fresh and the porridge and cooked breakfast were served nice and hot. I noticed that they paid attention to dietary needs such as soya milk, diabetic jam etc.

The hotel is centrally located for the many shops and restaurants - everything is an easy walk. And Ambleside is beautifully situated for spectacular scenery and for the other main Lakeland towns and villages.