Lumley Castle Hotel, Durham

Author's product rating:   

Advantages:	Gorgeous setting, great service, great food
Disadvantages:	None .  .  .  well, maybe the price !

Recommend to potential buyers:

yes

Full review

In the run up to my husband's 40th birthday last year I was repeatedly warned that I wasn't to arrange any form of celebration - no party, no balloons, no embarrassing picture in the local newspaper, no banners hanging in our town's marketplace. No, if I wanted to still be married the day after his fortieth, I was advised to completely forget that it was his birthday at all.

Of course, I couldn't do that and in the weeks before I began searching for somewhere we could go for the night that would be a bit special but not too far from home. After extensive research... ok then, asking a few friends, it appeared that place was Lumley Castle Hotel.

Lumley Castle Hotel is a 14th Century Castle, named after its creator, Sir Ralph Lumley. It is situated in the town of Chester-le-Street, near Durham in Co. Durham and is situated very close to Durham Cricket Ground. The castle is owned by the earl of Scarborough but is managed as a hotel by No Ordinary Hotels.

Booking the hotel was fairly easy. The hotel has a fairly comprehensive website giving details of a variety of packages, information on room types, several information video clips and a virtual tour (although this is quite slow to load). I wanted something quite memorable for my husband's birthday so I chose the Knights of Lumley package which included a one night stay, including dinner for two, full English breakfast and a bottle of champagne.

When finally the big day arrived, my husband was both surprised and shocked when I announced where we were going. The castle itself is really easy to find and it seemed very grand and imposing as we drove into the castle car park. Checking in was easy and the staff, who all dress in medieval costume, couldn't have been more pleasant and helpful. Our room was across the courtyard, so was fairly easy to find, but I have heard of people who have had rooms down winding corridors and even in castle turrets which certainly adds to the experience but may make locating the room a little trickier.

On opening the door to our room I couldn't have been more impressed. A huge four poster bed dominated the room, piled high with pillows and cushions. The furniture was all very antique looking as would befit a bedroom in a castle. There were numerous dressers and wardrobes and two chairs stood facing a fireplace, between which stood a bucket of ice containing the champagne. The only slightly incongruous detail was the wall-mounted plasma screen TV above the fireplace, but that aspect of the room pleased my husband more than anything. In the corner of the room was a door that led to the beautiful, scrupulously clean bathroom, filled with gorgeously scented bath products.

It was mid-afternoon when we checked in and it was a lovely June day so we went outside and walked past the golf course to the nearby river and had a stroll along its banks to the local park. After a pleasant afternoon walking and sitting in the sun we returned to the hotel and I had a long luxurious bath while my husband got his TV fix.

We were booked in at the Black Knight restaurant within the hotel but it was still early so we wandered the torch-lit corridors and eventually stumbled upon the Library Bar which was full of character with its walls of books and the service was excellent. At the time of our visit I was eight weeks pregnant and therefore not drinking but my husband enjoyed his pint of beer as I did my orange juice. The young bar assistant was very friendly and repeatedly asked if there was anything else we needed.

I think my husband could have happily soaked up the atmosphere of the Library Bar all evening but I'd booked the restaurant and wasn't going to miss out! We were greeted at the door and shown to a quiet, beautifully set table. Again, the service was very attentive, if anything too attentive. It was a fairly quiet evening in the restaurant and it felt a bit like all of the staff were falling over themselves to serve us. We did end up asking for more time between the courses as they were being brought out so quickly. The meals (I had crab and avocado salad and lamb shank; I honestly can't remember what my husband had as I was so engrossed in my own food!) were attractively presented and tasted delicious, although there was so much that I couldn't eat it all.

At the end of the meal we went back into the Library Bar for a nightcap before returning to the room. The bed in the room was as comfortable and big as it had appeared at first glance and we had a great night sleep.

Next morning, we were supposed to have a full English breakfast but unfortunately my morning sickness had kicked in with a vengeance by then and I couldn't face it. The staff offered to have breakfast delivered to the room for my husband instead, which I thought was a nice touch. I would love to be able to tell you what it was like but I spent the time locked in the bathroom unable to stand the smell. I think that was my fault, rather than Lumley Castle's fault though!

HOTEL INFORMATION

Rooms

The castle has a variety of standards of rooms with prices to match.

Castle rooms can be found in a variety of places within the castle, down winding corridors and up spiral staircases. Courtyard rooms are on the outer side of the castle, in what was originally the stable block. Rooms have ensuite bathrooms, satellite TV and radio, phone, internet access, trouser press, tea and coffee making facilities, hospitality tray and hairdryer. Some of the rooms have plasma TVs and wireless internet access.

Some castle and courtyard rooms are designated as Feature Rooms and these are a little bit more special than the ordinary rooms. Each room is different and may have four poster beds, like ours did, or some other feature such as a feature bath. One of my colleagues stayed here and opened the wardrobe door to discover it was the way to the bathroom.

If you really want to push the boat out, you could consider staying in the King James Suite with its 20 foot high four poster bed, separate lounge room, Jacuzzi, fresh flowers and complimentary champagne.

Dining

It is not necessary to stay at the hotel to be able to dine there. As well as the Black Knight restaurant the hotel offers rooms for private dining where you can entertain 10 - 14 guests. The hotel also offers Sunday lunches and afternoon teas. It also holds weekly Elizabethan banquets and monthly Murder Mystery events as well as special events for Valentine's Day, Easter, Halloween and Christmas.

Other facilities

Lumley Castle Hotel has the facilities to hold corporate vents and weddings. There was a wedding taking place while we were there and it would make a beautiful background for wedding photographs.

Pricing

Prices depend upon which rooms you want to stay in, what time of year, what day of the week and what you want included in the package. Our package cost £250 but it would have been cheaper in an ordinary room or on a different night of the week (We went on Saturday). The website is currently showing special offers for Sunday evenings (£55 for accommodation) and Easter weekend (£275 for two nights accommodation, banquet, dinner and champagne) so I would advise checking the website for updated offers. I would imagine it's the type of hotel most people would stay in for a treat or special occasion, not just for an ordinary overnight stay.

Interesting fact

Like all good castles, allegedly Lumley Castle has its own ghost, the wife of Sir Ralph Lumley who was apparently murdered by priests and dumped in the well. According to local legend, the ghost, called Lady Lily, still wanders the corridors of her former home. She didn't visit us though, either that or we just slept so well we missed her!

Recommendation

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If you are looking for a special place to stay in the north-east I wouldn't hesitate to recommend Lumley Castle Hotel. The castle itself is beautiful and very classy, the service is top class and the atmosphere is fantastic. We had a lovely evening here and I would love to go back... maybe when I'm forty!

Previously published on Dooyoo