Grantley Hall review: elaborate luxury in the friendly north

An interior-design journalist friend sighed when I mentioned I was heading to Grantley Hall. Words like “brilliant” and “bonkers” and “lavish” dotted the conversation for a while, among much speculation that the owner will never make the renovation/redecoration budget back.

Two minutes into your stay – after a long drive from the security gate to the Hall itself, past manicured lawns and water features – you’ll understand what they meant. It’s a marvel of elaborate luxury. Frankly, if they don’t make the money back, you get the sensation they don’t really care, this is a labour of love. In that respect, you could argue that Grantley Hall follows in the great tradition of the landed gentry and their love of a folly.

Why stay here?

If curiosity hasn’t tempted you, let me just repeat the thing about “elaborate luxury”. Grantley Hall – once you’ve made it up that drive – houses 47 bedrooms, five restaurants (one Michelin-starred) and three bars, a state-of-the-art gym (to make up for those eight places, presumably) and a spa, complete with an indoor/outdoor pool.

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It’s decadent, opulent, comfortable and – speaking volumes for the friendliness of the north – welcoming. It’s the latter that really shines through, with a team that really can’t do enough for you. And it never feels like that’s out of obligation, nor does it feel like you’re being served by Grantley Hall automatons. Personalities and senses of humour shine through, for those that want such things, but never at the cost of utter efficiency and flexibility.

The suite

Our suite comes with a bottle of champagne, some excellent chocolates (from Leeds-based Lauden, who I’d heartily recommend), crisps and a little warming decanter of damson-infused gin. At least I think it was gin, and it was drunk, utterly unnecessarily and suitably decadently after an elaborate, wine-paired dinner.

Obviously though, being a bloke, my favourite thing was the artwork that turned into a television. Oh, and the bed was comfortable, the shower excellent, the amenities everything you’d expect… For all the elaborate design – getting to the suite involved moving from old building to new extension, passing through maybe three or four completely differently decorated rooms and spaces – at the end of the day, Grantley has been designed by someone who’s actually clearly stayed in some hotels and knows what people need and want.

It’s a seamless, stress-free stay, and, as also discovered at Gilpin Hotel & Lake House, an indication that Pride of Britain appears to be a badge worth considering…

Eating and drinking

With only 24 hours (ish) at our disposal, five restaurants and three bars was always going to be a challenge. In fact, it was four restaurants and two bars beyond our reach, unless you count the predictably excellent breakfast served which takes over one of the spaces. Our focus was, inevitably, Shaun Rankin at Grantley Hall, a restaurant so thrilling it gets a separate review.

Those enjoying a longer stay, or channelling their inner Byron, have a lot from which to choose, from Valeria’s Champagne & Cocktail Bar to the more traditional fare of the oak-panelled Fletchers, afternoon tea in the Main Hall or, perhaps, a bite and a cocktail in the sturdy courtyard marquee. At the time of writing, the latter appears to be called The Orchard. At the time of visiting, it was a wintery, Alpine-and-apres-ski-themed space. Grantley Hall is clearly not a place that rests on its laurels.

What to do

The pool is a delight, particularly on a frost-bitten morning, where there’s something smugly great about being in a very warm pool from where you can savour the crisp outside air and then swim back to the warmth of indoors. Have a massage or treatment at the Three Graces Spa. Play a little croquet, go clay pigeon shooting, play a round of golf, get taken fly fishing, join a wine tasting… Grantley Hall can arrange all the above. Or use Grantley Hall as a base from which to explore North Yorkshire. Harrogate, Ripon, Knaresborough (home of Mother Shipton’s Cave) are all in easy reach, ditto York, Fountains Abbey, Castle Howard…

How to get there

Car is the obvious choice – it’s a quick drive from the A1 with plenty of parking. There are also two Porsche electric vehicle charging points and three Tesla ones. By train, the closest stations are Harrogate, York, Thirsk or Northallerton, and by plane, head to Leeds Bradford Airport.

Neil Davey was a guest of Grantley Hall. Room rates start from £600 per night, including breakfast. Ripon, North Yorkshire, HG4 3ET; grantleyhall.co.uk

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