Grantley Hall, a Relais & Chateaux Property

Set in acres of rolling grounds on the outskirts of the quaint city of Ripon, Grantley Hall delivers a sense of blissful rural isolation with a modern flavour. Grantley Hall was a sensational experience right from our transfer from York station all the way up to our last tea and crumpets at Grantley Hall’s Fletcher’s before our departure back to London. Having undergone a £70 million revamp, this Yorkshire splendour has been transformed into a Relais Chateaux 5* Hotel on the banks of the River Skell, with the scent and style to match. Valeria Sykes has created her dream hotel, with the intention to put Yorkshire back on the luxury map. Recognition has followed, with Grantley Hall being named the second best new luxury hotel in 2019 by Luxury Travel Intelligence.

Why trek all the way to the middle of the Dales for a potentially windy and wet weekend you might ask? Because Yorkshire’s gotten sexy - although in my view it always has been, and this grand addition to the Relais Chateaux hotel group has tipped it right over the edge, making this nugget of Yorkshire a must-visit destination.

The decadence continues into their 46 suites - all with a subtle yet very thoughtful hint of personality. Our grand suite was fitted with a gargantuan cloud of a bed, a lovely marble-panelled bathroom with a clawfoot bathtub, and a very swanky television that doubles as a painting. Whilst we sipped on our refreshing welcome champagne, we enjoyed a splendid view over the estate’s gardens. The gold, oak wood panelling and cream scheme is jazzed up with a pillow and robe menu, and there’s locally sourced Yorkshire sloe gin in the bedroom - the perfect cap after a wintery country walk. Rather than having the odd Hello! magazine’s and tour guides that no one bothers to read, the shelves had an array of interesting and peculiar read's - and those that you’d actually want to spend the weekend with your nose in. My personal favourites ‘Sapien’ by Yuval Noah Harari and Dan Snow’s ‘On this day in history’ were among the selection.

Start your morning with your choice of cuppa in bed on demand delivered straight to your room. I like mine strong, black, and extremely hot.

Spa and Wellness:

Moving onto the incredible Three Graces Spa. The philosophy centers around balance, achieving a state of peacefulness which is unique to each person’s state of mind and body’s needs. The Diamond Cocoon facial relieved my skin immediately of all the harsh pollutants my complexion faces on a day-to-day as a city worker here in London. If you’re looking to really relax and unwind, there is a vast selection of other treatments, including the Manipura massage, Himalayan Crystal Scrub and Citrus facial, which purify and refresh the skin.

The spa itself also has a stunning 18-metre indoor pool and hydrotherapy pool outside - both of which I happily splashed about in after a long Sauna and steam session.

The Three Graces Spa’s stunning indoor pool

The hotel’s Elite Gym offers some of the pioneering services currently available in the fitness industry. A fully-equipped luxury gym with plush carpets and marble statues, the performance centre offers altitude training facilities, a cryotherapy chamber, underwater treadmill and 3D body scanners. We were told that Grantley Hall has become one of the most desired destinations for Manchester United and City players to relax and unwind, whilst getting some full-body attention. Either you’ve gone batty when you want to work out three days in a row, or the gym is just that pleasant - and in this case it was most certainly the latter.

Dining:

Breakfast is a real treat, starting with a choice from Fletcher’s A la carte breakfast. I chose pancakes both days (yes, they were that good!), although the menu includes other choices such as the full Yorkshire monty, eggs benedict, rarebit and kippers. This was followed by a spread of freshly baked croissants and pastries served with butter and jam, as well as fruit, yoghurt and cold cuts. As seems to often be the case with luxury travel, things step up quite a notch when guests instead turn right at the lobby. The hallway leads to Shaun Rankin’s restaurant, an incredible fine-dining outlet serving up Shaun’s 9-course and 12-course ‘Taste of Home’. But I’ll leave this experience to a separate review. For more oriental flavour, the EightyEight restaurant offers a range of Asian favourites - from Pork Belly bao to Kimchi tofu hotpot.

Pancakes for breakfast at Fletcher’s .

The Verdict:

So is it worth it, you ask —and why? Perhaps you could rephrase the question. Are you worth it? This is a beguiling mixture of opulence and severity, impossible to locate stylistically but easy to tout as quite possibly the best Country house up North. This destination is not one thing but many, and I cannot wait to book my next visit.

Thank you to the Grantley Hall team for inviting us.

Grantley Hall

Ripon, North Yorkshire

HG4 3ET

Website: https://www.grantleyhall.co.uk

Read more about Valeria Sykes and her story.

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