...com/gardenhouse
The Garden House is a small, family-run guesthouse. It has only 7 rooms and can cater for 11 guests. It is non-smoking throughout. 'Stay on the greener side of town' is its slogan, referring to the fact that it is situated directly opposite the Valley Gardens, a large ... Read review
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Advantages: Quiet, good value accommodation with excellent breakfast. Disadvantages: A smallish room, but perfectly adequate for me.
...'''www.harrogate.com/gardenhouse'''
The Garden House is a small, family-run guesthouse. It has only 7 rooms and can cater for 11 guests. It is non-smoking throughout. 'Stay on the greener side of town' is its slogan, referring to the fact that it is situated directly opposite the Valley Gardens, a large park area a short walk from the town centre. The Garden House has four stars under the rating system for guest accommodation, the maximum ... ...to walk down to the Garden House to get my bearings. If you are familiar with Harrogate you will know it is built on a steep hill. Fortunately I was going downhill from the station to the Garden House and as I only had an overnight bag the walk was no trouble. However if you are carrying suitcases, or have any mobility problems a taxi may be better. I found the address easily as Kath had given me directions, and there is also a map on their website ... more
Harrogate here I come... Several months ago I was invited to an event in Harrogate. For various domestic reasons involving dogs, hubbie wasn't going to come along. I didn't mind that. At least I could be assured of one night's sleep without the sound of snoring, either human or canine! I knew a couple of other people who were attending the same event as I was, and when they told me what they were going to pay for their rooms at the poshest hotels in Harrogate I could not believe the prices. I am certainly not mean with money and am as happy as anyone to splash out now and then. But what was the point in spending a fortune for fantastic hotel facilities when I knew I would not have time to use them? All I wanted was somewhere quiet to lay my head, preferably with a good, filling breakfast the following morning. I started searching on the Internet for B&B or guesthouse type accommodation that would not break the bank. One way or another I ended up at the website of...
www.harrogate.com/gardenhouse The Garden House is a small, family-run guesthouse. It has only 7 rooms and can cater for 11 guests. It is non-smoking throughout. 'Stay on the greener side of town' is its slogan, referring to the fact that it is situated directly opposite the Valley Gardens, a large park area a short walk from the town centre. The Garden House has four stars under the rating system for guest accommodation, the maximum being five. Although I could have used the enquiry form on the website, I preferred to phone and see whether they had a vacancy for the night I wanted.
Booking I was pleased to be able to book straight away. The cost would be £35 for a single room with ensuite shower and toilet, breakfast included. The other rooms are 2 doubles ensuite, 2 twins ensuite, and 2 singles with shower but which share a toilet on the landing. The owner Kath did not ask for a deposit, but requested that I confirm my booking by letter or email, which I later did. As I was travelling by train, she advised me that the hotel is about 15 minutes walk from the station, but that taxis wait outside the station if I needed one. I told her I expected to arrive between 1 and 2p.m., but I had the impression she would be very flexible on arrival times as long as they know roughly when to expect you.
Hello Harrogate I was quite excited to get off the train at Harrogate. There are other parts of Yorkshire that I know very well, but it was the first time I'd visited this town. I decided to walk down to the Garden House to get my bearings. If you are familiar with Harrogate you will know it is built on a steep hill. Fortunately I was going downhill from the station to the Garden House and as I only had an overnight bag the walk was no trouble. However if you are carrying suitcases, or have any mobility problems a taxi may be better. I found the address easily as Kath had given me directions, and there is also a map on their website which I had printed off. Being near both the Valley Gardens and the Pump Rooms means that you have 2 landmarks to aim for, and you cannot go far wrong even if you do not know the town.
First Impressions The Garden House is a Victorian mid-terrace built of stone. It has a peaceful location, with a lovely outlook to the gardens opposite. If you are travelling by car you can park in the street outside the hotel with no restrictions. On arriving I was greeted by Kath who showed me to my room and said if I went down to the guests' lounge when I was ready she would make me a pot of tea. As I had travelled on 3 different trains to get to Harrogate I just dropped off my bag in my room and returned downstairs. Glancing around, I saw that the Garden House is furnished in a very traditional, homely way in keeping with the age and style of the building. The guests' lounge is a comfortable room at the front of the building, and by the door you will find a payphone and a rack of leaflets with a wealth of tourist information. Kath quickly reappeared with the promised tea and a scone, both of which were very welcome after my journey. She explained practical details about keys and breakfast, before leaving me to relax and get my breath back.
Room facilities Suitably refreshed, I went up to my room to unpack and get organised. The room was quite small, but cosy and clean. It was decorated in pinks and greens, again in a very traditional style. Apart from the obvious presence of a bed, I had a wardrobe and chest of drawers in stripped pine, a bedside table with lamp and radio/alarm, a chair, luggage rack, and a little television on a shelf with a remote control. There was a tray with kettle, cup and saucer, teabags, coffee, sugar and containers of milk. In the chest of drawers I found a hairdryer (if I'd realised I'd have one provided I would not have taken my own, but that was my own fault for not checking). There was also a big folder of information on places to visit around the area - clearly you need never be bored for want of something to do! Should you need to iron anything you can borrow an iron and ironing board from Kath. There is no fridge in the room. I know most people would not expect one in accommodation of this type but I am just making it clear as sometimes we get spoilt in hotel rooms abroad and start to take mini-fridges for granted.
As my room was at the back of the guesthouse I did not have a particularly good view. I looked out at part of the church and some houses, but this did not bother me as I would not be spending much time in the room anyway. I expect that the rooms at the front which look over to the gardens would have far nicer views to wake up to. I switched on the TV for a while. This worked fine, good picture and sound on all channels.
Oh, for a folding coathanger... One minor disadvantage of my room was that the hanging space was a bit limited. I had the old, narrow kind of wardrobe where the door is in the middle and you have 2 rails running from front to back. On a short stay like mine this would not really cause many problems, but if I had been staying longer I think I could have done with some of those folding coathangers that my mother always used to pack for holidays when I was a child! Do they still make those? I hope so as I'd like to buy a couple for future trips away!
Shower My ensuite shower room was very clean, with a modern shower cubicle, toilet and washbasin. Towels and liquid soap were there for my use. I had a quick shower and washed my hair before I went out. There was plenty of hot water and the shower actually was much better than ours at home.
A note on booking early When I went out to meet friends for the event we were all attending I was surprised how many people said they'd had trouble booking accommodation in Harrogate. It is a busy place, with a conference centre and there was also an antiques fair on when I was there which must have brought more visitors to the town. Hearing this made me feel very lucky to have found a space at the Garden House, when many folk were paying much more for rooms, and others were staying some distance from the town in a travel lodge. This is certainly something to bear in mind if you are planning to go to Harrogate. Although there seems a lot of accommodation, there is also obviously a high demand so booking in advance would be advisable.
Up the hill to bed I was not late in returning to the Garden House and settling down for the night. The bed was comfortable, though quite a lot softer than mine at home. There were 2 pillows, again on the soft side for me but fine for one night. All the bed linen smelt clean and fresh and the room was neither too hot nor too cold. I didn't notice any noise during the night at all. I had a restful night and another nice hot shower next morning before breakfast.
Food glorious food Breakfast was served between 8 - 9.30, though it seemed all the other guests were eating early like me. From the conversations around me it sounded as though they were all attending whatever was going on at the conference centre. The breakfast room is at the back of the building, pleasantly furnished with dark wood tables and chairs. Although everyone seemed to be eating at the same time the room did not feel at all crowded or cramped. There was an excellent choice of food. Cereals were available, but I had orange juice to start with. Next everybody seemed to be opting for the Yorkshire breakfast (which is basically an English cooked breakfast, using local produce). A lighter continental breakfast was also on the menu. I don't eat red meat, but as everything was cooked to order it was no problem to just order the items I wanted. I had scrambled egg, mushrooms, tomatoes, and fried bread. plenty of toast was brought, as well as a large pot of tea.
I really enjoyed my breakfast. It was cooked and presented to a high standard, and if you have any special requirements I am sure Kath and her husband Nigel would make every effort to cater for you.
I think I am right in saying that you have to check out of your room by 10 on your morning of departure. I packed up quickly and found Kath so I could pay my bill. I paid cash but they also accept cards.
Around Harrogate Before leaving Harrogate I had a look around the town which struck me as a place with lots of character, an interesting selection of shops, plenty to see and do. Apart from the Valley Gardens which were very pretty with well kept flowerbeds and lawns, there are also the RHS gardens nearby at Harlow Carr. If you are a keen walker (and reasonably fit) you can follow a trail through pine woods from the Valley Gardens all the way to Harlow Carr. The walk is suppose to take approximately 45 minutes, but unfortunately I didn't have time to do this. Closer to the town centre are the Pump Rooms where you can learn about the history of Harrogate as a spa town, and there are also the recently restored Turkish Baths if you wish to try one! Again sadly I didn't have enough time to do all this, but I did squeeze in an early lunch at the famous Betty's Tea Rooms which was a real treat.
Conclusions I would definitely like to return to Harrogate at some point to see more of the town and surrounding area. If I did go back I would have no hesitation in booking into the Garden House again. It had everything I needed, it was clean and comfy, I received a warm welcome and enjoyed a relaxed stay. The owners Kath and Nigel are friendly without being intrusive, and are approachable if you need information. I would much rather stay at a small family-run establishment like this than at a large, expensive hotel with facilities I don't use, or at an impersonal travel lodge.
On the down side, yes my room was quite small but as I wasn't staying long it was perfectly satisfactory. I could probably be happy there for a few nights, but any longer than that and it may become a bit claustrophobic, and I would definitely need the folding coathangers to maximise my hanging space! As I am not in the habit of enquiring about strangers' bedrooms I cannot comment on the size of the other rooms, but I would have no doubt that the standards of cleanliness and comfort I have described were the same throughout. At the time I was staying none of the guests had children with them. I had the impression that this is more a place where people stop over for conferences or short visits to the area, rather than taking family holidays.
If you are looking for somwhere luxurious where you can have lots of modern facilities to use then you will have to pay a lot more for one of the posh hotels up the hill. But if you are content with somewhere slightly more basic then for £30 to £35 per person per night I don't think you will do much better than the Garden House.
For pictures of the interior of the Garden House, please see the website mentioned above.
