Hotel of the month - The Feversham Arms Hotel, Yorkshire

 
The quaint and castle-toting North Yorkshire village of Helmsley is host to this homely Victorian-built boutique hotel, where guests go to hide away from urban hubbub, ramble the majestic moors, or ensconce themselves for shooting season. Whatever the reason for your stay, The Feversham Arms Hotel & Verbena Spa is a rustic retreat that promises an irresistible combo of cosseting, duck-down-pillowed cosiness inside and wild, wuthering moorland out.

Of the hotel’s 33 rooms, 22 are suites. The word ‘suite’ is a bit misleading, actually, as they are more like cosy and comfortable private cottages with room service. Like a charismatic country uncle, the decor is cottagey but characterful, bringing together low-beamed ceilings, bold red and racing green soft furnishings, and a smattering of glassware and local pottery. Favourite rooms include cosy and contemporary Room 21, with the original beam running through the ceiling and a huge bathroom with a claw-foot bath. Room 17 is the largest studio double. Rooms 20–25 are more modern in style, the others are classic and countrified. Superstitiously enough, there’s no Room 13.

Opened in October 2008, the Verbena Spa offers Elemis treatments amid exposed stone walls, wooden furniture, with plenty of seating and book-reading nooks to relax in. Opt for a rasul mineral mud massage, or a Finnish-inspired ice cave rub. The mind-bogglingly broad menu also includes packages for mums to be as well as brides and grooms. With an outdoor hot tub and delightful garden setting, filled with long-flowering perennials and herbs, this small-but-beautiful spa punches well above its weight.

The hotel’s restaurant is a sky-lit eatery serving a Modern British menu that draws heavily on local ingredients – rich Yorkshire game and tasty North Sea fish appear in abundance. Chef Simon Kelly’s delicious dishes include garlic-roasted gnocchi with mushrooms, shallots and poached quails’ eggs, and sirloin of beef on potato rösti. Filled with relaxed and happy-looking couples and groups of friends of all ages, this light and airy restaurant clearly attracts locals as well as residents, who come not just for the food but also for the personal service.

Feversham is also blessed with a brace of bars: one in the front lounge; one in the snug to the rear. Relaxing and quiet, they’re the perfect places to plant yourself and peruse the weekend papers.

North Yorkshire is home to more than its fair share of venerable ruins, and the crumbling Cistercian abbeys at Jervaulx, between Richmond and Harrogate, and Rievaulx, near Helmsley, are filled with 15th-century stone-carved walls, and graceful arches and columns. For more modern pleasures, head to the Georgian Theatre Royal (www.georgiantheatreroyal.co.uk) in Richmond, an 18th-century building that offers an unpredictable programme, whether it’s panto or flamenco. Scarborough’s Stephen Joseph Theatre (www.sjt.uk.com) is where playwright Alan Ayckbourn chooses to premiere his plays.

Room rates range between £150 and £385, including full Yorkshire breakfast, newspaper and VAT. For dinner, bed and breakfast, rates are £210–£445.
To book visit  www.mrandmrssmith.com