REVIEW: Relaxing at Rockliffe Hall

Posted on 11/23/2016

Last week I went on an adventure of the north and my first two days landed me in Hurworth-on-Tees at the stunning 5* hotel Rockliffe Hall & Spa.

Me and Theo had decided to embark on a four days adventure travelling through Darlington, County Durham, Newcastle and Northumberland. We opted for Rockliffe Hall as it had been recommended by a friend and we had been told it was luxury at its best!

Rockliffe Hall & Spa is a stunning 18th century redbrick mansion set in 375 acres of grounds with 5* restaurant, an award-winning spa and 18 holes championship golf course.

The hotel was beautiful from the moment we arrived, heading down the long road lined with trees to the front of the main building where a valet met us and took our bags and parked the car.

We then checked in and I headed to the spa for a Caudalie facial, the hotel newly recommended brand for their signature treatments. The award-winning spa provides the perfect environment to relax, unwind and indulge in a luxury spa break or spa day and that’s certainly what we did that afternoon. We threw on our robes and headed in to the thermal bathing suite with its tepidarium, caldarium, saunas, tropicarium, hydropool and ice fountain.

Rockliffe Hall features 50,000 square feet of spa and treatment facilities and you can laze around in the 20m pool, enjoy the bubbling hydrotherapy pool or unwind in the spa garden (this bit has to be booked in advance!) Oh and it is also the only spa in the North-east to offer treatments from exclusive French beauty company, Caudalie. My facial included grapes and lots of creams and I left feeling very relaxed and at one. The thermal bathing area was lovely, and what you would expect from a ‘proper’ spa, with various different areas to relax in. I read a copy of Conde Nast Traveller and then we headed back to the room to get ready for dinner.

The hotel bedrooms are all unique, decorated differently in each room, with some located in the old building and some in the new hall. The 61 bedrooms offer luxury bedding, free Wi-Fi, flat-screen TVs, and tea and coffee making facilities and some of them have balconies and fireplaces. The bathrooms also come kitted out with the amazing NEOM toiletries products, which I loved using!

Our room had a burgundy purple-hue with splashes of colour and was a massive room with bed, seating area and large bathroom with dressing area and storage compartments. The room was beautiful with stunning views of the golf course out the back and beyond which give you the most amazing views when you wake up in the morning in your king size bed. When I woke up I never wanted to get out of bed, it was so bloomin comfy…

Later on that evening we headed down to The Orangery for dinner after being recommended the restaurant by a friend. I was told their dining packages were incredible and the food was to die for. Dining options include a gourmet restaurant, a brasserie and a rustic British eatery, and there’s a cocktail bar and a lounge serving afternoon tea.

As a treat we decided to go for the ‘Surprise’ option in The Orangery which as the name says mean’t we were to be surprised by each dish. The seven course bespoke menu created by the resident chef, Richard Allen was incredible and the staff perfectly designed the dishes around your individual dietary requirements.

Some of the ‘surprises’ that were presented to us included:

PIGEON – Roast Breast – Broccoli – Chickpea Dahl – Fig & Ginger Jam
RICOTTA – Smoked Ricotta – Hen of the Woods – Salsify
SCALLOPS – Crab – Sea Lettuce – Clementine – Bisque
BEETROOT – Variations of Beetroot – Goat’s Curd
SPELT RISOTTO – Broccoli, Tempura, Shavings, Purée

We were then also treated to a wine flights which was designed by the Head Somelier Daniel Jonberger who pairs individual courses to wine. Daniel was a treat to have at the table and he entertained us all evening with his knowledge of different wines and how he paired the flavours of the dishes to a wine for the perfect collaboration.