Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Swinton Park
Just 22 miles northwest of Harrogate in the heart of the
Dales, this family-run home is a great base for exploring the National Park and North
Yorkshire, as well as a luxurious destination in its own right. Set in a vast parkland
with lakes, gardens, and deer, it offers a spa, a plush
restaurant
offering estate pro-
duce (including venison, grouse, trout, and vegetables and herbs from the walled
garden), country pursuits galore (fishing, golf, and off-road driving), and a cookery
school. Rooms and suites are individually designed and traditional in feel. Families
are warmly welcomed, with a games/playroom, outdoor play area and games equip-
ment (bikes, kites, and so on), kids' cookery lessons, and an on-site birds-of-prey
center with daily flying displays. Family events include Easter-egg hunts and activity
days. There's an excellent all-day kids' menu, and various suites with sofabeds, includ-
ing the Turret Suite with circular rooms on three levels.
Masham, North Yorkshire HG4 4JH. www.swintonpark.com.
&
01765/680900.
30 units. £180-£295
double; £305-£375 suite. Rates include breakfast (except for Fri-Sat night stays). AE, DC, MC, V. Free
parking.
Amenities:
Restaurant; bar; babysitting; exercise room; outdoor activities; room service; spa;
Wi-Fi (free, in lobby).
In room:
TV, CD player.
EXPENSIVE
Best Western Dean Court Hotel
Though part of a chain, this York stal-
wart derives some historical ambience from its occupation of a 19th-century building
and its enviable location by the Minster. It's a good option for families: In addition to
family rooms, it offers babysitting, toys, games, and PlayStations, a DVD library,
practical items such as changing mats, and chefs who “will cook almost anything for
youngsters and babies on request!” The most expensive rooms have four-poster beds,
but all are comfortable, and staff are very attentive.
Duncombe Place, York, North Yorkshire YO1 7EF. www.deancourt-york.co.uk.
&
01904/625082.
37 units. £140-£235 double. Rates include Yorkshire breakfast. AE, DC, MC, V. Parking £13.
Amenities:
2 restaurants; bar; babysitting; DVD library; room service.
In room:
TV/DVD, hair dryer, Wi-Fi (free).
17
Cedar Court Grand Hotel & Spa
This newcomer to central York has
already garnered legions of fans with its understated luxury and successful melding
of historical detail (sweeping staircases, mosaic-tiled corridors) with a subtly contem-
porary feel. Occupying a former railway offices, it evokes, albeit obliquely, the Golden
Age of travel, with the emphasis firmly on the leisure life: The
restaurant
serving
classic British fare, whisky and cocktail lounge, and roof terrace for afternoon teas
have lately been joined by a luscious spa and pool in the building's vaults. For the
full-on sybaritic experience, check into the Penthouse Suite, which comes complete
with butler service.
Station Rise, York, North Yorkshire YO1 6GD. www.cedarcourtgrand.co.uk.
&
01904/380038.
107
units. £129-£399 double; £249-£1,530 suite. AE, DC, MC, V. Parking £15.
Amenities:
Restaurant; bar;
babysitting; gym; indoor swimming pool; room service; spa.
In room:
TV, fridge (some), hair dryer, Wi-Fi
(free).
MODERATE
In York, there's a well-reputed
Hotel du Vin,
The Mount (
&
01904/557350
), and
another (attracting more critical feedback) in Harrogate, 1 Prospect Place
(
&
01423/856800
); most rooms at both are in the moderate-to-expensive range,
but some are very expensive. Both have good bistros.
There are three atmospheric stone holiday cottages, plus two luxury apartments, at
Fountains Abbey & Studley Gardens
(p. 646); cottages cost £596-£1,178 for a
week's stay
