Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Entertainment & Nightlife
Newcastle and Gateshead are fantastic for music and theatre lovers. Newcastle's
historic
Theatre Royal
(
&
0844/811-2111;
www.theatreroyal.co.uk) is regional
home to the Royal Shakespeare Company and hosts shows by the National Theatre,
Opera North, Rambert Dance, West End musicals, comedy, and family shows. Also
in Newcastle, the
Metro Radio
Arena
(
&
0844/493-6666,
www.metroradio
arena.co.uk) attracts big-name rock, pop, and comedy acts. The iconic
Sage Gates-
head
(
&
0191/4434661;
www.thesagegateshead.org) hosts performances by its
own chamber orchestra, the Northern Sinfonia, and visiting classical, pop, and jazz
artists.
Newcastle is notorious for its social-drinking culture, especially around
Bigg Mar-
ket
in the center. Other focal points are the Quayside and the area around Central
Station with its “Diamond Strip” of upmarket bars. Jesmond is a mixture of the hip
and studenty and more upmarket. The Pink Triangle, Newcastle's gay epicenter, is in
the Centre for Life/Metro Radio Arena area.
Where to Stay
By far the best-located hotel in Newcastle is the
Malmaison
on the Quayside, with
a stunning facade and views over the tilting bridge and toward BALTIC (£115-£135
double). Newcastle's
Hotel du Vin
is a 20-minute walk east of Quayside on City
Road (
&
0191/229-2200;
doubles about £120-£170).
Jesmond Hotel
Offering the personal touch in a smart suburb north of
Newcastle's center, the Jesmond has small but clean and pleasant rooms furnished in
a spare contemporary style at unbeatable rates that include an excellent breakfast
(buffet and cooked). The on-site
Amer's Restaurant
(lunch Tues-Fri and Sun; din-
ner Tues-Sat), another great find, offers very good modern British cuisine such as
pan-seared scallops with celeriac purée and lardons at more-than-reasonable prices,
and the bar has a pleasant terrace for summer days and evenings. Check-in is a gen-
erous 1pm.
34 Osborne Rd., Newcastle NE2 2AJ. www.jesmondhotel.co.uk.
&
0191/281-5377.
18 units. £80 dou-
ble. Rates include breakfast. MC, V. Free parking (on street).
Amenities:
Restaurant; bar.
In room:
TV.
Souter Lighthouse Cottages
Pretty as a picture, these National Trust
holiday cottages are on the south side of a complex of buildings attached to the shore-
based, cliff-top Souter Lighthouse just north of Sunderland (Cottage 1 was originally
the lighthouse engineer's home). Available for 3 nights and up, each sleeps four plus
a baby/toddler in a cot. Both are fairly modern yet homey in style, with touches of
nautical and seabird imagery in the decor and furnishings. Kids love the Robinson
Crusoe feel of it all, with the old boats on-site and the wild beach at hand, but they
do need to be supervised on the grounds as this is a working lighthouse (cottage
guests get free guided tours of it).
Whitburn, South Tyneside SR6 7EX. www.nationaltrustcottages.co.uk.
&
0844/800-2070.
2 units.
£186-£530 3 nights; £372-£884 7 nights. MC, V. Free parking. Amenities: Walled garden (shared).
In
cottage
: TV, highchair, full kitchen (w/dishwasher and washing machine), travel cot.
Staybridge Suites
Although billed as “extended stay hotels,” Staybridge
Suites—part of the giant Intercontinental Hotel Group that also embraces Holiday
Inn—are just the ticket even if you're in Newcastle only for a night or two. They're a
particular boon for families since all have full kitchens allowing you to eat in—the
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