Middlethorpe Hall & Spa

Middlethorpe Hall is a historic, stately home and National Trust property that dates back to 1699 -- among others, Lady Mary Wortley-Montague made her home here. It's set in 20 acres of sprawling grounds with a lake, walled gardens enclosing hidden spaces, a formal rose garden, and a neatly manicured croquet lawn. The house itself is a grand William and Mary affair, built of red brick with white-painted sash windows. Inside, leading off from a grand entrance hall with a vast wooden staircase are a number of bright and airy rooms with high ceilings and an assortment of comfy sofas and antique furnishings -- some are grandiloquent and spacious, while others are cozy and intimate. The restaurant is a formal space with wood paneling dyed a rich tobacco by the centuries. Slightly removed from the main house is a gravel courtyard surrounded by more modest but cheery Edwardian cottages, home to the spa and more rooms. The atmosphere is formal and traditional, and rooms are on the frilly side, making it not to everyone's taste. The hotel tends to attract tourists looking for a secluded break, but not so isolated that they can’t spend time in one of England’s prettiest medieval cities.

Middlethorpe Hall is somewhat removed from York’s medieval center, as it’s a 10-minute drive to York Minster, or a 25-minute bus journey from a stop just outside the hotel. In the center of the city, however, virtually everything is close at hand, and you’d be hard-pressed to spend more than five minutes walking to anywhere inside the walls. Closer to home, the hotel is a three-minute drive to York Racecourse. Although Middlethorpe Hall’s location may seem slightly out of the way, one positive is that it has abundant parking spaces, which are in short supply in the medieval city center. York Station is an eight- to 10-minute drive away, depending on traffic. Leeds Bradford International Airport is a 50-minute drive away, while it’s a 90-minute transfer to Manchester Airport.

There are 29 rooms and suites spread across the main house, the nearby courtyard, and the grounds that house more secluded cottages. All are individually decorated in traditional decor, with antique furniture, paintings, and homey accents. The 10 units in the main house are characterized by lofty ceilings and sash windows that provide views over the formal lawns. While one of the rooms here is a compact single, another has a four-poster bed, and suites have separate sitting rooms with sofas and armchairs, plus antique writing desks. Over in the courtyard, suites are a little less formal, but there's still plenty of floral fabrics and pleated skirts that make them feel chintzy. A short walk away from the main hall is a cottage that houses three suites, two of which have two bedrooms and a kitchenette, and are set up for families. Bathrooms have either shower/tub combos or stand-up shower cubicles with rainfall showerheads. All rooms have free Wi-Fi, flatscreen TVs with DVD players, trouser presses, bathrobes, and slippers. Unfortunately, most rooms lack fridges, kettles, and safes. Some add fireplaces. On the downside, some guests have complained of road noise reaching rooms.

Features here are varied, and the standout is the fine-dining restaurant that serves an eight-course tasting menu, as well as a la carte options for lunch and dinner. Afternoon tea can be taken either in one of the elegant drawing rooms or in the gardens, depending on the weather. Guests speak very highly of the free continental buffet breakfast, and hot options can be ordered for a supplement. Housed in a red-brick cottage is the health club, which has treatment rooms for massages and wellness therapies, as well as an indoor pool, sauna and Turkish bath, hot tubs, and a cramped but well-equipped gym. The grounds are home to a number of walled gardens, a kitchen garden, and a manicured croquet lawn that gets used in the summer. There are three meeting rooms, the largest of which can accommodate 60, and a number of other spaces can be hired out. Free Wi-Fi is accessible throughout.