Jane Cable reviews a rather special country house hotel
Sometimes when you’re travelling, quite unexpectedly you come across a real gem of a place that you know you’ll go back to time and again. And that’s what happened when we spent a few nights at Simonstone Hall Hotel near Hawes in the Yorkshire Dales.
Arriving late on a wet afternoon, I have to say the building looked a bit grim from the outside; very grey and mullioned, but the welcome inside was as warm as could be, and our ‘estate room’, while not large, was extremely cosy. The bathroom was state of the art (so much so it had one of those extremely trendy rainfall showers that deluged half the floor), the bed comfortable, and there was proper coffee for the cafetiere. And that view… did I mention the view?
Simonstone still has the feel of a proper country house and we walked past a number of well-furnished living… or should I say drawing… rooms, overlooking the terrace with its rattan furniture and firepit, and perfect for curling up in with a good book or meeting friends for a chat. We walked past them because we’d had a long journey and were heading for the bar, where we received yet another warm welcome and a decent choice of drinks, including some locally brewed draft ale.
We were coming to realise that friendly staff and great customer service are at the heart of everything Simonstone does. You are quickly on first name terms with the people looking after you because they introduce themselves that way, and while everything happens as it should and when it should, there is still a very relaxed feel about the place, something you don’t always associate with a country house hotel. It was clear most of the guests were not on their first visit, and that in itself is always a recommendation.
The food was very good too. There were five or six dishes to choose from for each course and my gluten intolerance was catered for without fuss – there were even delicious warm bread rolls and quality gluten free crackers to accompany the cheese. Unlike a Michelin starred establishment we stayed in later in the week that thought it was OK to serve supermarket sliced GF bread. But I digress… at Simonstone the style falls just on the cheffy side of hearty, and my beetroot and goat cheese starter was absolutely exquisite. Mains were robust and delicious, in particular the Wensleydale beef and Texel lamb. There were some interesting wines on the list too, with bottle prices starting at £22 so no-one was going to feel ripped off.
On our one full day at Simonstone we left the car where it was and walked. There are some wonderful footpaths to follow with steep climbs (optional) and dramatic views (everywhere) so we tramped until we were desperate to take our boots off. Returning to our room mid-afternoon, the only small fly in our ointment was that we’d run out of the excellent coffee. It seemed no sooner than we’d thought it than there was a knock on the door. It was a young lady with a basket over her arm, filled with goodies. We’d run out of coffee? Take two… and some more mineral water. Did we need anything else? Biscuits? Tea?
It kind of summed up Simonstone. The warm generosity of the place, the nothing too much trouble attitude. We’ll certainly be going back.
Simonstone Hall Hotel is currently offering autumn and winter breaks and fabulous Christmas and New Year packages. Check them out at https://simonstonehall.com