Located in the heart of the rolling countryside of north-east England, the former 17th-century Palladian mansion, now a country hotel, the best in Britain, with its own World Heritage Site Japanese garden, represents the perfect balance of serenity between the cosy and the contemporary.
The motto of Grantley Hall is “the difference is in the detail” and this concept is very much internalized by all the members of the hotel’s human team. Proof of this is that music is played in the car park ” for the flowers and the cars, completely personalized aromas are assigned to different areas of the hotel, the ceiling over the fabulous swimming pool reproduces the nearby 12th-century Fountains Abbey, the beds are made in Leeds, Raisthorpe Manor’s Damask plum gin fills the decanters in each room and portraits by Ruth Fitton, and portraits by Ruth Fitton, an artist from Harrogate, hang in the elegant restaurant. And so on and so forth in a vintage environment combined with outstanding luxury that borders on excellence.
This historic hotel, a member of the prestigious Relais & Châteaux association of hotels and restaurants, is a completely different kind of wellness retreat with forty-seven exquisite rooms and suites, three restaurants, two bars, two swimming pools, a spa and wellness center.
After a thorough restoration lasting several years and an investment of over seventy million pounds, the exterior remains faithful to its original construction, while the interiors have been adapted to contemporary standards for luxury hotels, preserving their historic appearance but with a fresh, welcoming and modern look.
Stays with levels of excellence
The rooms, all designed to exceptionally luxurious standards, are distributed between the historic building and another recently constructed annexe that is perfectly integrated into the atmosphere of excellence that reigns. The former, with a more boutique feel, perhaps have a more idiosyncratic distribution due to the distribution of the old house, but neither category has anything to envy the other.
Everywhere the historical ambience is complemented by totally up-to-date comforts and impeccable decoration and textures. All are luxurious, but the suites are truly amazing: the Royal is distributed over two levels and the Presidential has a grand piano.
The old building has twenty-six elegant rooms, all of them with an absolute wealth of detail. The décor is decidedly classical, with beige carpets, earth-coloured blankets, velvet armchairs and more modern touches such as the small lampshades and some, like room 21, with magnificent views of the river and the gardens.
The more modern annex, called the Fountains Wing and topped by a large atrium, has 21 much more contemporary rooms, an Ila spa, sauna, steam room, a snow room and an 18-metre indoor pool with a heated outdoor extension overlooking the gardens. Suite 44 has an excellent view of the idyllic swimming pool and jacuzzi and its layout includes a bedroom, office and living room, decorated in fairly neutral greys, greens and creams, with enough books and interesting objects to make it feel more like your own apartment than a hotel. It also houses a concealed television that can be automatically accessed by remote control. The floor and the toilet seat of the spacious bathroom are heated to his liking and he is provided with a bottle of special reddish-pink gin, with an Alice in Wonderland-style label advising him to “enjoy it slowly and let the magic begin”.
A luxury gastronomic experience
At Grantley Hall, the experience always comes with a world of surprises and at the table it will be no different.
The Michelin-starred restaurant “Shaun Rankin at Grantley Hall” showcases what Rankin, the famous British chef, does best: local seasonal produce cooked with his unique touch. Inspired by Shaun’s upbringing in Yorkshire, the Taste of Home menu celebrates the best the county has to offer, reaching the pinnacle of culinary excellence.
This beautifully decorated, formal restaurant occupies what was once the music room of this sumptuous and luxurious 17th-century country house. Shaun Rankin’s creative and modern cuisine fits in perfectly with this environment, inspired by his childhood memories and his deep knowledge of the area. Yorkshire has an abundant larder and the skilfully prepared tasting menu centres on its best products.
Other gastronomic delights include a vibrant pan-Asian experience at EightyEight, delighting the senses with a unique fusion of Yorkshire produce and flavours from the Far East. Its designer decoration displays its charms in the peaceful surroundings of the Japanese Garden, declared a World Heritage Site by UNESCO.
The Norton Bar combines tradition and modern comfort, ideal for enjoying creative cocktails, classic champagnes and fine whiskies in the old library while contemplating the views of the River Skell. The reddish sofas of crinkled velvet beckon from the bar, with oak panelling and electric blue banquettes adding an urban chic touch to the Pan-Asian Art Deco restaurant.
The body and the mind also deserve a gift
The tranquil Three Graces Spa offers effective and restorative treatments in its five cosy treatment rooms, wet and thermal facilities, thanks to the collaboration of two prestigious spa brands, both recognised for their intuitive and distinctive approach: ila, which brings its philosophy of wellbeing to the Three Graces Spa with natural and pure products, focused on results, created exclusively for Grantley Hall, and Natura Bissé, Spanish experts in luxury skincare.
The Three Graces Spa offers a personalised menu of facial and body treatments, therapies and extended spa stays, including treatments to improve mood, aid digestion and promote deep rest. With the aim of satisfying the needs of their clients, they apply everything from aesthetic and anti-ageing treatments to treatments of maximum effectiveness to relieve stress and revitalise.
The spa also has an eighteen-metre indoor pool, an indoor and outdoor hydrotherapy pool, sauna, steam room and snow room, a quiet relaxation room, an outdoor terrace and a Spa Lounge offering a delicious variety of healthy and nutritious drinks and snacks throughout the day. An interesting addition to the spa is the Nordic Spa Garden, which has modern Brass Monkey ice baths and an outdoor steam sauna.
Three fitness areas are located at the heart of the ELITE Health & Performance Centre, with a fully equipped gym; a strength and conditioning gym (perfect for individual or group physiotherapy sessions, with ample open space, pull-up platforms, track sled, battle ropes, ski ergometers and indoor rowing machines); and a Health and Performance Area that includes the Randox Health Lab with high-level tests and analyses and biometric machines, including a Tanita bioimpedance machine and a Styku 3D body scanner. For amateur or professional athletes who want to improve their endurance training, the hotel also has two rooms with altitude control to guarantee a comprehensive approach, simulating conditions similar to an altitude of 5,600 metres as in Everest base camp. 600 metres, as at Everest base camp, as well as having a nutritionist, a personal trainer, a hydration expert and a gait analyst, and boosting the production of red blood cells in the altitude training and sleep study.
Clearly, at Grantley Hall refinement and excellence reach almost unimaginable heights, right down to the details, as the hotel’s slogan says.
