My first visit to a De Vere Hotel, I recently stayed at Slaley Hall in Northumberland. It's an ideal location for a special luxury break in a gorgeous part of rural England. The hotel is set in a large (1,000 acre) area of forest and moorland in Northumberland, and whilst it does literally feel like you are miles from anywhere, the hotel itself has got everything you might need, so there’s hardly any need to go anywhere else.

It’s 20 miles away from Newcastle, and the nearest town of any size is Hexham, around 8 miles away, but all the roads surrounding Slaley Hall are country lanes, so it’s a very peaceful place to be. On arriving, you think you’re about to get lost, but it does turn out to be very well sign posted at every little road junction.

Slaley Hall is a “golfer’s paradise”, as it says in their leaflet. There are 2 courses - a 7,021 yard, par 72 Hunting championship course, which is included in the PGA European Tour (none of this means anything to me, as a non-golfer!), and also the Priestman course, also a championship specification course. A Golf Clubhouse gives it all a ‘golf club’ feel, without it being too exclusive, as all hotel guests use the bar facilities. Use of the golf courses is of course free to hotel residents.

As I say, I didn’t go there for the golf, just for a quiet, romantic weekend – and Slaley Hall fits the bill here too. There are 139 bedrooms, all of which are very well equipped, and slightly more spacious than most hotel rooms, with room for a very big double bed, as well as a small couch, table and chair. As you’d expect, there’s an en suite bathroom, TV, trouser press, laundry service, room service, morning newspapers delivered outside your door… all of which felt highly luxurious to me. One little touch I’d never seen before in a hotel bathroom – a swish retractable washing line! Came in very handy
washing our swimming costumes.

Yes, there’s also a leisure club, with a 20 metre swimming pool, gym and various health and therapy treatments. The swimming pool costs you nothing, not even for locker and towel hire, and the pool was the best I’ve been in (not counting abroad), lovely warm water, well designed with a spa pool. If you’re one of those people that likes to do 50 lengths before breakfast it may not suit you, but for someone like me who likes to swim gently in circles, it’s a wonderful place.
Beauty treatments don’t come free, and you’d have to set aside around £30 to treat yourself to something like a massage or a facial.

The restaurant is rather plush, and has lovely views overlooking the golf course and the forest. Breakfast can be whatever you want it to be, as everything’s there at the buffet – full English breakfast, continental, Danish pastries, fresh fruit. Each day there’s a special hot dish as well – I’d recommend the scrambled egg with smoked salmon. Slightly let down by the toast, which never seemed to be either fully browned or kept warm, and the coffee, again not as piping hot as it should be.

We didn’t eat ant other meals in the restaurant, but the menu looked excellent – allow around £25.00 per head for dinner. A less formal meal can be had in the Clubhouse. We want mad with the room service (a menu that’s available right through the night) and for a snack like a sandwich and French fries, or cheese and biscuits expect to pay around £6.00

This is a 4 star hotel, so a stay here doesn’t come cheap.
For bed and breakfast, you may have to pay as much as £100 per night per room. Special deals are often available, though. There’s a short break rate, which between Sundays and Thursdays is £49.50 per person per night.
We booked via the laterooms.com website, and paid £87.50 per room per night, whic
h for two people seemed like a bargain.
They also offer what’s called a Spa Break, which includes bed breakfast, evening meal and a massage and facial – for £135 per person per night – now that sounds like a luxury break to me.

I enjoyed my stay there very much – if I was a golfer, and if the toast had been hot, I’d give it 5 stars.


Slaley Hall,
Hexham
Nr Newcastle upon Tyne
Northumberland
NE47 OBY

Tel 01434 673350
Bookings (Central reservations) 01925 639499
Email slaly.hall@devere-hotels.com
www.devereonline.co.uk