Conjuring up images of English countryside is something we do as children. Wide open spaces, gorgeous forests, winter walks, howling wind and typical English mansions.
I wasn’t thinking of my teenage years reading Mansfield Park and watching Poirot and Jonathan Creek. While they had their fair share of English mansions, I wanted some relaxation for my return to England after a stint in Edinburgh, Scotland. When reality of these English countryside resorts hits you though – they are exactly what you expected.
I had already stayed in another countryside manor — the Clumber Park Hotel and Spa in Nottinghamshire — and so was now ready for The Doxford Hall Hotel and Spa in Northumberland England.
After Edinburgh, I needed a rural stop over and this did the trick.
Doxford Hall Hotel and Spa is set in a somewhat isolated yet beautiful spot. When I arrived at Doxford Hall (an hour earlier than planned) I was in for a treat.
Here is a top 10 rundown of the things I loved about my stay at the Doxford Hall Hotel and Spa.
The Rooms: I had Alnwick Castle, 14. Note that each room is named after a castle and mine is the nearest local castle in Alnwick which is en route to Newcastle.
The Library – the library is great for getting work done, or if you want to take in some reading of the likes of Mansfield Park (and the odd Jonathan Creek mystery). It’s relaxing, peaceful and the perfect spot for some travel writing and a cup of Earl Grey tea.
Wi-Fi and more books than anyone could ever read (Short Circuit excepted).
Abundant Breakfasts – I awoke and headed hungrily to the restaurant to find a huge range of food and even a breakfast menu. For a start – yoghurts, cereals, fruit all fresh, a range of juices and toast with jam, honey and butter.
Plus of course the English fried breakfast, which came with black pudding!
The Staff — they make you feel at home.
The Countryside – having grown up in Northern Ireland and lived in Tasmania for a while, I love the rural countryside. True relaxation, harmony and views unobscured by skyscrapers.
Doxford Hall plays host to around 100 weddings a year as well a lot of conferences, events and banquets. It’s a great place for a special occasion.
The Walks — the walks you can go on from the Doxford Hall are marked out for you.
The Bathroom – charming and delightful with an old fashioned claw bathtub, as you’d expect in an English country inn.
Slippers, dressing gown and a range of toiletries.
The Spa — Kick back in the jacuzzi, go for a swim or let off steam in the sauna. The Doxford Hall has a fairly large Spa centre and even better – I went down early morning and had the place to myself.
The Decor is All Things English — do you bother to look at the walls when you stay in another hotel in another town in another country? Walls, carpet, cornices, chandeliers all with a design and flambouyance to them that are oh so very English — rural English that is.
The Tea Tray — afternoon tea or coffee with English biscuits? Yes please! My room had a tea and coffee tray with coffee, tea, hot chocolate, a kettle and biscuits. It wouldn’t be England without afternoon tea.
And so the journey must go on. To enjoy the delights of English countryside the way you dreamed it up as a child, here are the details.
Details:
Doxford Hall Hotel
Chathill, Alnwick
Northumberland, NE67 5DN
England
Reservations: 01665 589 700
info@doxfordhall.com
Jonny Blair is a self confessed traveling nomad who founded and blogs at Don’t Stop Living. He sees every day as an adventure. Since leaving behind his home town of Bangor in Northern Ireland ten years ago he has traveled to all seven continents, working his way through various jobs and funding it all with hard work and an appetite for travel. Don’t Stop Living, a lifestyle of travel’ contains over 1,000 stories and tips from his journeys round the globe. He wants to show others how easy it is to travel the world, give them some ideas and encourage them to do the same but most of all he aims to constantly live a lifestyle of travel. He is currently based in Hong Kong and on Twitter @jonnyblair.
