The Tempus at Charlton Hall Estate ★★★★

"I stayed in the Zara room on the ground floor of the Farm Cottage, and it was absolutely beautiful. The room was decorated so thoughtfully and was equipped with everything I could have needed, including robes, a selection of teas and coffees, and biscuits. The bathroom was equally stunning, with a lovely freestanding bath and a separate waterfall shower. The White Company toiletries were a really luxurious touch, and the room itself smelt beautiful from the moment I walked in. I also loved having a Smart TV in the room, which meant I could relax and watch Netflix during my stay. The bed was incredibly comfortable, and the duvet was so lovely and plush. I genuinely had one of the best nights’ sleeps I’ve had in a long time. Whilst I didn’t dine in the restaurant for my evening meal, breakfast was included with my stay, so I visited the restaurant the following morning. I enjoyed a teapot of tea and the pancakes with fresh fruit and Chantilly cream, which were lovely. The staff in both reception and the restaurant were polite, friendly and attentive throughout my stay. There was also plenty of on site parking very close to reception, which was really convenient. The grounds were beautiful and clearly very well looked after, and it was lovely seeing the horses in the nearby field too. Everything felt so well thought out, luxurious and welcoming. I had a wonderful stay and would definitely love to return!"

Beadnell Towers & Kitchen ★★★★

"Lovely hotel, location spot on, food and service good apart from a very rude barman"

Doxford Hall Hotel and Spa ★★★★

"Fantastic stay at Doxford. Grounds are beautiful. Spa facilities very good. Breakfast generous and great quality. Spa bath in room deliberately disabled in all rooms which isn't ideal."

Northern Hideaways Apple Store, Ellingham ★★★

"Before writing this review I want to say I always try to be fair and honest with my feedback. Sadly, despite Ellingham Hall being one of the most beautiful venues I have ever visited, the overall experience was extremely disappointing and nowhere near what you would expect from a luxury wedding venue. From my readings I would advise you before booking to read all reviews as some are pretty similar to mine. I attended a multicultural wedding here as a friend of the couple and visually the venue is absolutely stunning. The grounds, rooms and scenery are incredible and the ceremony itself was genuinely beautiful and emotional. Credit where it’s due, Ellingham Hall looks spectacular and on arrival it honestly blew me away. Unfortunately, the hospitality side was a completely different story. Being African/Portuguese, we had agreed beforehand with the bride and groom to bring a traditional cultural dish to share with guests. As a chef myself, I introduced myself respectfully to the General Manager Matt and later to Adam the Head Chef, but both interactions felt cold and uncomfortable from the beginning. Adam in particular came across extremely unwelcoming which honestly surprised me considering I was simply trying to coordinate food that had already been approved beforehand. We were told there would be a BBQ, but the food served was far from what most people would consider one. Oven cooked skewers, prawns, lamb, couscous salad and potato salad drowning in mayonnaise with a grill outside that genuinely felt more for appearance than actual cooking. Later in the evening we were served burgers in takeaway boxes that were advertised online as “Homemade Aberdeen Angus Burgers” but absolutely did not taste homemade or premium in any way. Portions were also so controlled people could not even go back for seconds. Ironically, our cultural dish “Cachupa” ended up being one of the highlights of the food during the weekend and many guests from both the British and Portuguese side loved it. Some people even came back for second and third plates which made us proud to share part of our culture. One of the biggest issues throughout the wedding was food availability. Breakfast finished at 10am and guests were not served lunch until around 4pm with no snacks offered during the day. My 5 year old daughter kept asking me for food and when I asked staff if there was anything simple available, I was directed to a vending machine for crisps. I genuinely could not believe it. At a wedding of this level, guests should never spend hours hungry. Another major issue was being refused fridge space for leftover food despite the hot weather. In the end, two full trays of food had to be thrown away because there was nowhere safe to store them which was incredibly frustrating and wasteful. There were also several smaller details that added up throughout the weekend: Warm flat champagne left outside in the heat, limited drinks, breakfast choices that felt extremely poor consi"

Host & Stay - the Bach ★★★