Hotel Review: Grantley Hall
Over the weekend, Oliver and I headed up to the Yorkshire Dales to review Grantley Hall, a luxurious 47-bedroom hotel nestled among 30 acres of greenery near the quaint town of Ripon. The hotel opened its doors in 2019, on the cusp of the pandemic, and has quickly established itself as the most luxurious country house hotel in the north of England, so I was excited to see whether it was worth the 3-hour journey from London. Read on for my full review below…
First impressions: 4/5
Roll up to the Grade II listed Palladian pile and a flurry of waist-coated bellboys will run up to greet you and unload the car, before ushering you inside for a glass of lemonade while you check in. From here, you’ll be led straight to your bedroom, winding through marble-clad corridors lined with plush velvet sofas and neoclassical statues along the way. While the building itself might date back to the 18th century, the hotel was restored in 2015 in a £70 million renovation - in spite of the nods to the opulence of the Regency era that you’ll spot throughout the property, all of the sumptuous interiors are, in fact, brand spanking new. Into the Presidential Suite we went (we were not expecting this!), which encompasses a kitchen, spacious seating area and dining room, and even a grand piano in case you fancy a tinkle on the ivories (Oliver did). The bathroom is a marble clad affair, boasting a walk-in shower that also doubles as a steam room, and bathtub large enough to fit a small family - plus all of the little extras that made our sleepover here that bit more luxurious: underfloor heating, at least three different TVs spaced out across the suite, and a fully stocked, complimentary minibar.
Throughout the rest of the hotel, each room is modelled on a different style, from the Georgian-esque Main Hall where afternoon tea is served daily, and which wouldn’t look amiss on the set of Bridgerton (velvet sofas in pale blues and creams sit underneath stuccoed ceilings amid an abundance of orchids) to the low-ceilinged Fletchers restaurant where oak panelled walls and tartan banquettes abound. It’s almost like you could get lost amid several different centuries across this glorious playground of surprises: while my personal taste might lean towards the quietly minimal, I have to admit that the maximalist level of opulence throughout the property is certainly impressive (clearly, no expense has been spared). Onto exploring what the hotel has to offer…
To do: 5/5
After exploring the hotel grounds - make sure to wander through the Japanese gardens, the rose gardens, the formal gardens (I could go on…) - there are multiple other outdoor pursuits to get involved in. The hotel arranged a private lesson for us at a nearby clay pigeon shooting range, which was a novelty experience for us both, while also on offer are fishing excursions, e-biking across the Yorkshire Dales, croquet…the list goes on.
In the afternoons, wind down at the Three Graces spa, which is located in the newer wing of the hotel. The spa feels like a natural extension of the hotel, with luxurious touches around every corner: expect private treatment rooms, a lounge with plush sofas where you can order revitalising drinks and indulgent desserts, and extensive changing rooms. The main pool is surrounded by loungers to kick back on (including romantic cabanas for couples to curl up in), and a second hydrotherapy pool extends outside into an enclosed garden area. This was our favourite feature of the spa: being able to swim outside on a bitingly fresh January evening but enjoy the warmth of the heated pool was very special. There’s also a sauna, steam room, and snow room to dip in and out of.
On our first evening, I was treated to an Inner Peace experience in the spa, where my skin was buffed and massaged to every inch of its life - I fell asleep from how relaxing it was, and would very much recommend booking a treatment here if you’re looking to pamper yourself even further. Meanwhile, the Elite Gym located opposite the spa is hands down the most impressive hotel gym I’ve ever experienced. Featuring every single machine you could possibly need, the extensive space is far from an afterthought (as is usually the case with hotel gyms) and honestly makes working out surprisingly enjoyable - not something I am ever prone to admit! It was also delightfully empty throughout our stay.
Food and drink: 5/5
The hotel has an impressive number of spaces to eat and drink under one roof, most notable of all being the 1 Michelin-starred restaurant, Shaun Rankin at Grantley Hall, helmed by Yorkshire-born chef Shaun Rankin. Guests dine on a ten-course menu inspired by ingredients foraged across Yorkshire, in a beautifully elegant dining room with high ceilings and ornate finishes. You’ll start off with little snacks, followed by an impressive bread course that comes with three types of butter (herb, salted, and bone marrow), before diving into each dish, each as delicious as the next. Highlights for us included the indulgent cruffin (a cross between a croissant and muffin) drowning in a sea of truffle and pecorino shavings, as well as a heavenly melt-in-the-mouth sliver of turbot topped with caviar. Oliver and I both have a sweet tooth, so we were very pleased that the ten-course menu included four sweet courses: our favourites included a blackberry souffle paired with fig leaf ice cream to the very special homemade ‘Magnum’: truffle ice cream encased in chocolate and meadowsweet caramel (trust me, it works). After dinner, we were led into the adjoining Main Hall for a seat by the fire, where they proceeded to wheel out the petit fours trolley. It was definitely a treat to pick out which chocolates we wanted to nibble on, alongside warm financiers from the kitchen. All in all, our meal here was very memorable: dining at the Shaun Rankin restaurant is definitely the not-to-be-missed experience you should indulge in if staying over at the hotel.
Other restaurants we experienced across the property include the pan-Asian Eighty Eight, a slick space that wouldn’t look out of place in buzzy Manchester. I’m usually quite hesitant about pan-Asian restaurants, but this turned out to be a surprisingly tasty experience: curl up in one of the sexy velvet booths and indulge in a mix of Japanese, Thai, and Korean flavours across elevated and delicate dishes, paired with incredible cocktails. The Korean cauliflower popcorn, aubergine and chive dumplings with crispy chill sauce, and heavenly soft monkfish paired with XO fried rice were our favourite dishes.
Meanwhile, breakfast every morning is served in the British-European Fletchers. After grazing at the continental buffet (don’t miss the delicious toffee apple muffins!), feast on cooked dishes like a proper English fry-up or creamy scrambled eggs. Lunch and dinner is also served here every day - or for a more casual meal, curl up on a sofa at the cosy Norton bar, where you can nibble on lighter bites by the fire. The hotel also has a number of al fresco bars scattered across the property, as well as an indoor cocktail bar turned nightclub Valeria’s, where you can be serenaded by live music on weekends.
Comfort and service: 5/5
Service across Grantley Hall is incredibly slick and professional. We were bowled over by how polite and approachable all members of the team across the hotel were: from the moment we arrived right until our departure, we felt very looked after. Staff are quick to remember guests’ names, which adds that personal touch: it’s rare to find a hotel where this level of service is maintained across every single aspect of the property; given the number of restaurants under one roof, and the various facilities on site that created multiple touch points with different team members, it’s even more impressive that this level of professionalism was mirrored throughout the entire hotel. We didn’t encounter a single member of staff who seemed even slightly clueless or less than ‘on it’.
Overall, our experience at Grantley Hall could rival, if not exceed, some of our stays at the country’s most renowned hotels. The hotel might be newer than some more established properties that have been around for decades, but I’d be surprised if it doesn’t overtake some other properties in popularity thanks to its top-tier facilities and the level of service provided. It was these aspects of the hotel that we were most impressed by: the wealth of things to do and the fantastic facilities across the hotel, as well as the quality of service that was executed throughout our entire stay. We also didn’t have a single bad meal (something I am very quick to judge a hotel for!), and any guest here would be spoilt with the different dining options available - naturally, we didn’t get to try all of the restaurants across the property throughout our stay, which gives us a reason to head back. Design wise, the hotel is on the more lavish and opulent side, so if you’re a fan of old-school glamour and hotels such as Adare Manor, Cliveden House and Gleneagles, this is definitely one for you.
This was a press stay - all opinions are my own.
