Hotel du Vin and Bistro, Harrogate

Hotel du Vin are an exclusive brand of boutique style restaurants beginning with their first Hotel in Winchester back in 1994 this popular brand have spread across the UK at a rate of knots. With Hotels in Harrogate, Henley On Thames, Birmingham, Brighton, Bristol, Glasgow, and Tunbridge Wells. The next 12 months are going to be one of the most exciting in HdV’s history with Hotels opening in Cheltenham, Cambridge, York, Poole and Newcastle.
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...far different from any other hotel chain in the UK with the exception of course of Malmaison its sister company. Each hotel offers individual qualities or facilities but all contain certain specific requirements in order to make them part of the HdV ethos.

HdV Harrogate appears to be one of the more written about hotels in the chain, but I guess more uniquely with the exception of the Glasgow addition at present it’s the furthest north ... more

Hotel du Vin are an exclusive brand of boutique style restaurants beginning with their first Hotel in Winchester back in 1994 this popular brand have spread across the UK at a rate of knots. With Hotels in Harrogate, Henley On Thames, Birmingham, Brighton, Bristol, Glasgow, and Tunbridge Wells. The next 12 months are going to be one of the most exciting in HdV’s history with Hotels opening in Cheltenham, Cambridge, York, Poole and Newcastle.

HdV offer the hotel guest an exclusive experience far different from any other hotel chain in the UK with the exception of course of Malmaison its sister company. Each hotel offers individual qualities or facilities but all contain certain specific requirements in order to make them part of the HdV ethos.

HdV Harrogate appears to be one of the more written about hotels in the chain, but I guess more uniquely with the exception of the Glasgow addition at present it’s the furthest north of all the hotels. A search engine result for Hotel du Vin Harrogate will result in possibly the most pleasing results a hotel manger would require. The hotel a firm favourite of The Independant, Harpers & Queen, Times, as well as a variety of exclusive Yorkshire based publications.

The Hotel has 42 rooms, a popular bistro, two mid sized function rooms, courtyard area, gym, bar and lounge, as well as a cosy snug area with large pool table.

Upon arrival at this elegant Georgian property we were first taken aback by its location, close to the centre of the town it overlooks the beautiful area known as The Stray. The Stray is a large stretch of green space and parkland that dominates the town. The hotel itself initially eight Georgian houses has a surprisingly low key, but perfectly appropriate entrance.

Once through the door you enter into a lounge area which was incredibly busy, as I later discovered two wedding parties were celebrating in the hotel, with parts of a third wedding party staying there, but having to have their reception etc elsewhere due to the Hotel’s popularity.
I was struck by the unusual array of furnishings, from plush comfy leather chairs to very formal traditional seating, the style you might find in a country mansion. Blended amongst this were a variety of attractive sculptures and unusual lighting pieces. At the left hand side of the lounge and down some steps was the rather un-imposing reception, this was almost like a large dining table with a computer on it as apposed to a reception, but I guess this is all part of the experience. I had to ask the chap if I was in the right place for reception, in case there was another one tucked away elsewhere, but this was reception and once I had understood the culture of HdV a bit more this seemed perfectly in keeping.

The room itself (as with all other rooms) was individually named; my rooms name was Clos Mogador, which apparently is a Spanish winery located in Catalonia (Barcelona), other hotel rooms titles vary from wine vineyards, brands of wine/brandy/champagne, and the names of people associated with the wines.

My room was about 20 feet square, with a window that overlooked the courtyard area below, and nicer still the ornate fountain. The bed in my room was what is regarded as an oversized bed, it was of normal length (or so it appeared) but almost 7 feet in length (as a guess) this was laid out with Egyptian cotton bedding. The room was in great condition with a few marks of wear and tear when you paid closer attention. For me the biggest feature of the room was the bathroom, the bath was far wider and far deeper than the average bath you’ll encounter and rather nicely filled right to the top in less than 3 minutes. Over the top of the bath was a monsoon shower, which basically consists of a massive shower head, this was something I tested before leaving, and if I had a monsoon shower at home this would without a doubt get precedence over the bath (my usual bathing option). I could quite honestly say that time permitting I’d have spent more of my stay in the bathroom, they really are an experience.
The rest of the room featured a nice dressing table/desk area which had a variety of publications scattered on it some had features of Harrogate and the Hotel, the rest were simply popular magazines. In the desk was headed paper and notelets as well as a clothing repair kit in case you ended up with any out of the ordinary rips or tears.
Across the room was a triple doored wardrobe which contained as well as the conventional storage aspect an ironing board, trouser press, hair dryer, iron, safe (which you can set your own combination), tea and coffee making facilities which included fresh milk, but more interestingly a mini bar which included snacks right through to your favourite tipples and soft drinks, it even contains a bottle of champagne. The mini-bar products are individually chargeable and a price list is enclosed to help with your purchasing decision. The room also featured a couple of easy chairs, luggage rack, and TV with built in DVD player, and a stereo system.

The big deal of the room was the bed, forget the linens, forget the size although both are great features, what you have here is a bed and set of pillows that practically absorb you, its like sinking into a pile of feathers (or other soft matter) no sooner had I laid on the bed than I was asleep, this bed was the most awesome part of my trip; and I appreciate this may sound unusual, but away from home my nights sleep are usually dogged by issues. I could have stayed on this bed forever! When the time came to rise from my bed I remember feeling like some great weight had been lifted, it transpires it actually had because for the first time in half a year I had a totally uninterrupted sleep.

Each room in the Hotel is different, and my colleague stayed in the Champnys room which was quite a lot smaller than mine but featured all the same facilities with a smaller bed. My advise if making a booking is that you book early and be specific about your room requirements.

Out of the room and into the bar and I was greeted with the most impressive selection of alcohol choices i had ever seen in my life. Whatever you could possibly want or need was in this bar, from a selection of probably over 80 whiskies from around the world to a fine choice of brandies and wines. All served from a very European feeling bar, with an impress solid surface. Drink prices vary from the reasonable to the expensive depending on what floats your boat, the centrepiece of the bar contained a bottle of Brandy which if I remember correctly worked out at about £80 a shot, obviously more traditional brandies were on a par price wise with most pubs and bars.

Down a small flight of stairs from the bar was the snug area. This very exclusive feeling room was the only area of the hotel that I heard music being played; as soon as you walked through the door you got the feeling that you were a very important person indeed. The seating in the snug was not dis-similar to the bedroom, in the fact that no sooner had you sat down you felt incredibly relaxed (almost hugged by the furnishings). The centrepiece or so I originally thought of the snug was the billiard table, which looked very inviting but never got the opportunity to play on; the decision not to play was down to the discovery of the real centrepiece of the snug, an incredibly well stocked well displayed wine cellar.

Upon entering the wine cellar (which you have to enter with a member of staff) I was blown away by the selection, I thought the bar was impressive until I saw this. This incredibly well stocked cellar was well labelled with its wines being stacked in themes, or country of origin. This cellar contained bottles from as little as £15 to over £1000. I must add that even if you’re not a lover of wine to see this is one of the more memorable aspects of my stay; with the opportunity to test a large variety of wines I felt like I had entered a tourist attraction, not the cellar of the hotel I stayed in.

Onto the bistro and this elegant eatery is very much like a traditional French bistro, in every sense of the word. And here I felt the first downfall, the table arrangement was very cramped and in the boothed seating side it was difficult to slip between the tables without dragging your backside quite literally along someone’s eating area. However this criticism being made, I’m sure that if you selected a quieter night the seating might be more laid out allowing for a little less congestion and a little more intimacy.
I never ate in the Bistro until the Sunday morning when I had breakfast; you have a choice of two options £9.95 continental breakfast, of the more appealing £13.50 English Breakfast option. I had the English breakfast option (which came in a multitude of variations depending on your requirements). Now I’m no connoisseur of food, but while 80% of the breakfast was fine, either I made a terrible mistake, or part of my breakfast was a mistake. When asked how I liked my eggs, I opted for scrambled eggs as did my colleague both turned up separately (a 5 minute gap between) and both scrambled eggs turned up differently. My colleagues arrived looking initially like a crepe, but as we later discovered it was more like a soup. When mine arrived it looked like porridge and tasted very watery. Now in my opinion the breakfast is the last thing you experience, and this can make or break a hotel stay if the hotel gets it wrong. And if it were not for the wonderful feel the rest of the hotel gave me, this could very well prove a stumbling block; I should add my views on breakfast were not exclusively mine the egg situation seemed a bone of contention for most experiencing scrambled eggs in the bistro.

The Gym was rather compact, but featured a wide range of facilities that would most definitely appeal to anyone that visits a gym regularly. From weights to running machines it was all here, and with a TV in case you got bored listening to yourself almost having a heart attack.

The Courtyard was just divine with about 20 tables nicely laid out, it offered an authentic French feel. I witnessed many people sat round in the sun enjoying a special bottle of something purchased I assume from the amazing cellar. The courtyard has a variety of plant life around it, and some nice lighting for when daylight turns to dusk.

The function rooms cater for parties of up to 30-50 in the Henley Vineyards, or up to 60-90 in the Abbey well. Both function rooms appeared to have some very exclusive artwork on the walls (actually painted on the wall). The larger of the two seemed like an ideal location to have a small wedding ceremony.

Back on to the rooms these are a variety of prices varying from £120-£370 per night, my room was a £120 per night room but as with all HdV’s you can ask to see other rooms in order to get the room that’s right for you. So knowing what your getting surely its only right to ask what the most expensive room in the hotel looks like. In Harrogate the largest rooms are either the Dom Perignon or the Moet Vintage Collection. We went to look at the Dom Perignon, and left feeling totally overwhelmed.

With a room size of about 50ft x 30ft Dom Perignon blew us away. As you enter the room which features a massive 8ft x 8ft bed ideal for a wedding night. Superb lounge area which features a sort of corner group, again designed to give that intimate feel. The two most remarkable aspects of course were the 30ft shower, yes 30ft it spreads out across the width of the building and has two entry points; and the twin baths again like my room these were far larger than the conventional and designed so that both you and your partner can have your own separate bath, but still enjoy the pleasure of each others company. Just in case company was not enough, the room also features a large plasma screen TV which you can see from the bath.
The room features all the other facilities that I had in my room, with the addition of dual sided views, and some artwork.

Of some surprise and this greeted me with both appreciation and disappointment was the staff manner. Initially my view on this was that the standard of service was poor, but again this was because I never fully understood the ethos of the company. But upon reflection what you get is a snapshot of real life; the staff serving you are trained to be as much themselves as they can be. Part of the HdV experience is bought to you by the staff and their personality. Despite the heirs and graces of the hotel the staff that work there are like you or I, never looking down on their guests, and not being phased by the sometimes wealth and power of their higher paying guests.

HdV Harrogate’s walls are littered with accolades in reference to the hotel, each piece of good publicity or award notification gets a place on the walls of the corridors. These accolades at first seemed a bit pretentious, but after experiencing what the hotel had, it struck me as well deserved attention.

Now the crunch, you see I’m one of HdV’s latest employees, and my venture into HdV gave me mixed views, but more importantly a view of how the company works. I had this vision of a hotel run very much to the standards of some of Britain’s top establishments, which while this hotel is certainly one of them I was expecting a different stand point from the staff point of view. What my visit did was took away some of the mysticism of what an HdV offers, and put it into reality. Despite being an employee I hope I have given a fairly accurate picture of what this hotel offers, and despite being an employee I hope that my views are well balanced focusing on the bad as well as the good.

I should add that Harrogate is not the hotel I will be based, in i'm going to be much further south; so I hope this reinforces my (what I consider honest) review of this establishment.

Harrogate Itself

I’m a Southern snob, I lived in the north east of England for several years and have an all to grim vision of life up north (where they work down pit!) While I enjoyed York, I hated Middlesbrough, Newcastle, Stockton, Sunderland, Redcar, Hartlepool, Gateshead, Peterlee etc. But Harrogate took my breath away, this stunning town is like a piece of heaven, that alarmingly happens to sit in the north of the country.

Its beautiful well kept streets featuring boutiques (as well as boutique hotels) and quirky pubs and bars. The town is all very much in keeping with what I assume to be its original form, unlike some towns that whack up structurally awful monstrosities of buildings. Big chain pubs like Rat & Parrot are designed to fit nicely with the towns Georgian surroundings.

Harrogate feels like a very cosmopolitan location, the relaxed nature of its residents that obviously enjoy the nicer things in life left me feeling totally relaxed. In many of the towns and cities I visited in the north I felt on guard all the time, like someone might mug me at any time, I had no such feeling for Harrogate. In fact when walking through the streets at night I never felt the presence of yobbish behaviour that seems to dominate any town, not just northerly ones. I felt even the youth of Harrogate had a pride for their town and rightly so.

The small town has lots of the main retail players from the bulk standard types of WHSMITH to the 100% tell tale sign that there is money in the town when you see Space NK. The mix up of retail and eateries is well devised meaning that unlike some towns, your never too far away from somewhere to eat.

Harrogate is located roughly 30 minutes either side away from Leeds and York with good connections to both (although on my visit heavy rain the day before forced the trains to be out of service moving on to rail replacement services). There are a variety of tourist attractions including the most elegant Mother Shipton’s cave and the stunning river that runs alongside it.

I could honestly say that should I ever find myself forced to move north again Harrogate would be the place for me. 

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