Grantley Hall hotel review, Ripon, North Yorkshire UK

Grantley Hall is located five miles from Ripon

(Image credit: Grantley Hall)

published 3 July 2023

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.

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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.

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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.

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.

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.

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…