A Luxury Spa Break at Walwick Hall - The Best Boutique Hotel in Northumberland

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We always make an effort to celebrate our wedding anniversary with a luxury break close to home and this year we were very excited to check in to Walwick Hall, the best boutique hotel in Northumberland. We first discovered Walwick Hall back in the Summer when we experienced the most incredible afternoon tea and decided instantly that when it came to our anniversary celebrations there was nowhere else we'd rather be.

We never could have known that this year's wedding anniversary would be a rather somber affair with the unexpected death of my Dad only a few weeks earlier.  Our anniversary fell just a day after his funeral resulting in last minute changes to our booking.  I can't thank Walwick Hall enough for being so supportive during this tough time, as soon as I spoke to them about having to move things around they were so accommodating and took all of the stress right out of my hands - they efficiently adjusted our bookings and immediately sent my new confirmations through so I didn't have to worry. They really do take customer service to the next level and I am so thankful to them for making a horrible time that little bit easier.

Welcome to Walwick Hall

I don't even know where to begin trying to introduce you to Walwick Hall, it is such a beautiful place I'm not sure I could ever find the words to do it justice but I'll give it a go!

Walwick Hall is everything you could ever want from a luxury hotel and a whole lot more. Beautifully furnished with amazing attention to detail, the friendliest staff and food to really shout about, Walwick Hall is a country boutique hotel a stones throw from Hadrian's Wall in the picture perfect Northumberland countryside.  The Grade II listed country house is a home away from home and manages to capture that perfect balance of luxurious elegance and cosy comfort.

Luxury Rooms at Walwick Hall

There are three types of rooms at Walwick Hall - Luxury, Deluxe and Standard each one beautifully furnished to a very high standard. Looking through the pictures on the website the Standard Rooms look anything but "standard" so even if you're on a slightly tighter budget you certainly wont be missing out by booking one of these rooms.

As we were celebrating a special occasion we checked into Hunter, one of the two Luxury Suites at Walwick Hall and as soon as we opened the door to our room we were truly wowed by how beautiful our home for the night was. Our private hallway had two doors, one leading to the most incredible marbled bathroom with a roll top bath overlooking the gardens and the other taking us into our bedroom.

Immediately slipping off my shoes, walking barefoot over the soft carpet was an absolute dream, all of the furnishings in our room were such high quality - for a moment I did wonder if I could get away with just staying there forever. They wouldn't mind if I moved in would they?

As we were there for a special occasion the hotel had treated us to some lovely little extras and in our room we discovered a plate of chocolate covered strawberries with a "Happy Anniversary" message along with a balloon that was floating above our little window seats offering us incredible views over the gardens and surrounding Northumberland countryside.

I could have happily spent the entire afternoon just relaxing in our beautiful suite ... but the temptation to explore the rest of Walwick Hall was just too much to resist.

 The Bar 

After we had settled into our room we decided to head down to the bar for a few drinks before dinner. The bar is a great spot to spend the afternoon (and the best news is it's also open to non residents, so next time you're walking on Hadrian's Wall you know where to head after).

The well stocked bar serve up their own specially created cocktails as well as fine wines, malt whiskeys and gins. The bar at Walwick Hall is the place to be now that the days have turned darker - the cosy corners, comfy armchairs and open fire really come alive during the Autumn and Winter months - no prizes for guessing where you'll find me at Christmas time.

Dining at Walwick Hall

There are two evening menu options at Walwick Hall - The Tasting Menu offers a five course menu for £65.00 (surely one of the best value tasting menus in the region!) with an optional wine pairing package for an additional £30.00.  I love that during August and September the Tasting Menu featured dishes from the Relish (North East and Yorkshire) Cook Book - a book that's forever on my coffee table but I've always been too lazy to cook from myself!

As tempting as the Tasting Menu looked we decided to go for three courses from the a la carte with plenty of dishes to choose from we were spoilt for choice, I was so happy that we were given the menu to look at whilst we were in the bar as it gave us a good amount of time to properly look and make our choices.

The restaurant at Walwick Hall feels very fancy all decked out in gold chairs, ornate mirrors and lovely tableware but still has a lovely friendly atmosphere. There were plenty of others dining during our visit giving the room a great vibe.

I kicked off with the Ham Hock Terrine (£8.00) served with quail egg, haggis, apples and pickles. It was beautifully presented with incredible splashes of colour and was the perfect light start to the meal. Although the dishes look great on the plate Head Chef Steven Murray prides himself on serving up food that isn't pretentious and believes that "food art belongs in an art gallery not a restaurant", an ethos that I think any keen foodie can really appreciate.

For the main course I decided to go for the Roast Haunch of Venison (£22.95) served with rosti potato, textures of beetroot , kale, bitter chocolate sauce and Simon opted for the Tim Oliver Belted Galloway Fillet Steak (£32.95) served with portobello mushroom, grilled tomato, triple cooked chips, crispy onions and roast shallot butter. All of the beef and lamb served at Walwick Hall is sourced from Tim and Jack Oliver who farm from Great Whittington and Haltwhistle meaning that the meat served is 100% traceable from hilltop to table top and you really can taste the quality with each forkful.

We were pretty full by this point but when have you even known us to say no to dessert and with so many great options on the menu at Walwick Hall we couldn't resist going for the third course. I decided on the Blueberry Tart (£7.00) served with frangipane, blueberry compote, roasted almond and yoghurt sorbet and Simon chose the Sticky Toffee Pudding (£6.95) with butterscotch sauce and vanilla ice cream. It was heavenly!

Our dinner at Walwick Hall was one of the best meals we've ever had in Northumberland and I haven't stopped recommending the restaurant to everyone I have seen since.  We loved that the food was locally sourced and the twists on classic dishes made for a really tasty meal.

Waking up at Walwick Hall

After all of that delicious food we were more than ready to head for bed which was ready and waiting for us after a very impressive turn down service complete with a deep sleep pillow spray and a bottle of water each. Sinking into our Super-King bed we were asleep within minutes.

I had a great sleep and, despite having stayed in many of the region's loveliest hotels, I have never experienced sheets as incredible as the Egyptian Cotton offering at Walwick Hall. They really are something else.

Before heading downstairs for breakfast I decided I had to try out the beautiful tub in our bathroom - I just can't resist a soak in a bath tub with a view and carefully manoeuvring myself into the bubbles I enjoyed a lovely long bath whilst admiring the picture perfect Northumberland countryside. If you are celebrating a special occasion I really do recommend checking into Walwick Hall just to indulge in a luxurious bath - it is so relaxing.

Just about managing to climb out of the bath before I turned into a prune we made our way downstairs. Breakfast at Walwick Hall is served in the dining room and freshly prepared to order. I have to say it was one of the best menus I have ever seen at a hotel and we were spoilt for choice.

Unlike many other hotels there's no "help yourself" buffet, as much as I love those I will admit they tend to bring out a very greedy side of me so it was actually quite nice to just stay seated at our table and order just what we wanted. It felt really lovely not to be battling with other guests for the toaster or fighting our way through the restaurant balancing glasses of orange juice and bowls of cereal.  Table service at breakfast is such a rare treat and really helped us to remain fully relaxed.

A lot of the produce served at breakfast is sourced locally including bespoke recipe sausages from Scotts of Ponteland, eggs from Lynup Farm in Ingoe and milk and cream from the prize winning herds of dairy Shorthorns and Ayrshires from Northumberland pedigree in Slaley.

We perused the menu with plenty of Tea and a Freshly Squeezed Orange Juice before ordering a
Belgium waffle (£6.95) served with Berry Compote and Orange Creme Fraiche and a Smoked Salmon and Scrambled Eggs on Toasted Bagel (£8.00). I loved that the menu included things you rarely see at hotel breakfasts (which is why I had to order the waffle!)

The Spa 

Despite checking out after breakfast we definitely weren't ready to go home and so planned a full extra day at Walwick Hall starting with a visit to the Spa which I think may be Northumberland's best kept secret. It's beautifully intimate and boasts a unique pavilion pool overlooking the private walled garden and out to the Northumberland countryside beyond.  The spa also offers a steam room and hot tub with a few loungers positioned round the pool and a really impressive stack of magazines to help yourself to.

We were very lucky during our visit to have the entire spa completely to ourselves so if you are visiting I'd highly recommend going during the week and out of school holidays to ensure you get a nice relaxing visit, the spa is very small and I think during busier periods it would get pretty crowded. We were over the moon that we had the whole place to ourselves and if I'm being honest I really wouldn't want to share the space with many more people.

As it was a special occasion we decided to book ourselves in for a massage each in the double treatment room. There are 30 different treatments and therapies with some really lovely Germaine de Capuccini face and body treatments available.  If you want to make a day of it there are some great packages available combining treatments with lunch or afternoon tea and tailored to every need, I particularly love the sound of the "The Walwick Walker" the perfect treat after walking in the Northumberland fresh air.

I love treating myself to a massage and wish it was something I had the opportunity to do more often. There were some great options at Walwick Hall and some of their treatments are different to anything I've seen offered at other spas in the region.  I opted for the 55 minute full body Mediterranean Candle Massage (£75.00).  I got to choose between the Lavender, Olive or Citrus Mediterranean inspired candles to be burned while I enjoyed a Pinda massage. I decided to go for the Lavender, a scent that I always associate with pure relaxation.  The warm oil from the candle is poured over the body for a soothing massage and wow did it leave my skin soft. The experience was absolutely beautiful and I can't wait to get booked in for another one.

Northumbrian Afternoon Tea

We decided to end our anniversary celebrations with an afternoon tea.  As we'd tried the traditional tea last time we were at Walwick Hall we decided to go for the Northumbrian version for our second visit. The Northumbrian Afternoon Tea costs the same as the traditional (£24.95) and features some great northern alternatives to the usual afternoon tea stand including mini stotties and singin hinnies.

We were thrilled to get the same seats that we had last time - on the comfy sofa by the window overlooking the gardens. I don't know what I'd do now if I ever turned up and that table wasn't available, it is perfect and we love it.

I was so impressed that the chef remembered me from our last visit so knew about my nut allergy and had made me my very own nut free macarons - I was so touched and it really does show how incredible the service is at Walwick Hall is. Every single person that visits is treated like a special friend and I really do love that, it's so special.

We absolutely loved our return visit to Walwick Hall and I am over the moon that we've discovered such a great place for all of our future celebrations. There are plenty more Walwick Hall experiences I want to tick off my list including a stay in their luxury self catering suites (they look so beautiful) and of course I really want to see the Hall decorated for Christmas.

I can't wait to go back!

What you need to know

• Book your stay at Walwick Hall here 
• Walwick Hall is open to all! Non residents can enjoying the dining experiences, bar and spa 
• If you prefer a self catering experience Walwick Hall also has Chester Stables, seven luxury self catering suites with suites available from 2 to 8 - take a look at the beautiful spaces here.
• There are plenty of great packages at Walwick Hall - take a look at the latest offers here

Find Walwick Hall at:

Humshaugh
Nr Hexham
Northumberland
NE46 4BJ

walwickhall.com/

01434 620 156

We received a complimentary overnight stay, drinks, dinner and breakfast in exchange for our honest review.  We paid for our spa treatments and afternoon tea.