I've not stayed at hotels in the area, Victor, so I can only judge places by the dining experience. But if they get food right, the rest often follows.
While it's not in a village, the
Drunken Duck is good for the south/central areas - it's close to the Langdales, Blea Tarn, Tarn Hows, Hodge Close, Cathedral Quarry (a few to Google!). Its food is superb, they brew their own excellent beers, and it's my favourite place in the whole area.
There's a lot of choice around Grasmere, but I've heard very good things about the Oak Bank Hotel -
a review here. Grasmere's nice, not as busy as Ambleside. I'll add that I tend to avoid Windermere as it's too busy for me.
Near Keswick, the Lodore Hotel looks good. It's close to Derwentwater and Borrowdale, where there are some nice villages (I'm writing from one of them). I like the
Langstrath, a B&B / pub with good food in a small village.
There are plenty of other places I could mention, often small and in small villages or by themselves, but those are ones to consider.
John