Recently we were honoured to have been asked to visit the new luxury Spa at Ye Olde Bell in Nottinghamshire. I wrote about how we found our day at the spa HERE but what I didn’t fill you in on was our stay at Ye Olde Bell Hotel itself.
This AA 4 Star Hotel is a former 17th-century coaching inn set in the Nottinghamshire village of Barnby Moor and can be booked as part of a luxury spa break or independently as a hotel stay
Due to its superb location, it practically borders the 3 counties of, Nottinghamshire, Lincolnshire and Yorkshire and it’s only a few miles directly from the main route of the A1 giving it a prime location for commuting and also for those looking to take in a more scenic country break.
The hotel offers a mixed range of luxury accommodations from individually styled rooms, suites and even lodges to cater for every type of booking.
We had the pleasure of staying in Ye Olde Bell’s Rufford Lodge which I have to say was beautiful. It is joined to the other lodge, The Grove and can be used independently or can be opened up with the interconnecting doors if required.
Rufford Lodge is located just on the edges of the property and has a tucked away little car park right outside so it’s great for moving any bags or cases directly from the car to the accommodation.
After checking in with the lovely receptionist in the main building we were shown over to our lodge and I have to say once inside we did have that wow moment taking it all in. It has a large dining table, sumptuous soft furnishings, 2 wing chairs and a large leather sofa. Although the lodge is a fairly new build compared to the long standing main buildings the interiors have maintained the feel of the history around the place but with added modern conveniences included.
The lodge also had a small mini kitchen with fridge, microwave but no cooker so it’s not fully contained as it would limit what you would be able to cook.
What would work well however is dealing with any immediate children’s needs for feeding and then getting to enjoy exquisite food cooked in the restaurant instead meaning no washing up!
The stunning carved oak staircase is a wonderful feature in the lodge and leads to the mezzanine style bedroom and beautifully appointed bathroom with robes and luxuriously fluffy white towels.
The detailing throughout the lodge is second to none and I loved how well the owners have combined the expectation of high-end luxury to the aesthetics of the lodge to still be in keeping with the hotel’s original 17th century heritage. It is not something that can easily be pulled off but they certainly have.
The hotel has more to offer than just the spa and accommodation as it has conference facilities and banqueting suites too so it wears many hats for all occasions.
This 4-star hotel offers 2 choices for dining with the bistro and the more formal art deco Restaurant Bar 1650. The menu is produced making the most of fresh locally sourced home grown produce.
We had the pleasure of dining in Restaurant Bar 1650 with its heavy oak panelled walls, thick heavy drapes and beautiful art deco bar and the whole restaurant oozed luxury and it was such a wonderful treat to spend some time in such a wonderful decadent restaurant.
Each course was brought through to our quiet table by a very helpful waitress who had good knowledge on what was in each dish and without a doubt the food was immensely tasty and some of the flavour combinations were divine!
Breakfast was served in the 1650 restaurant in the morning till 9.30 (10am on weekends). You could request to have your food taken to your room for a nominal fee and not even have to get dressed. We opted to come into the hotel to eat and are pleased we did as the breakfast staff were such lovely company along with being really attentive to any needs we had.
Once again the chef used locally sourced home-grown products that made for a super tasty and filling breakfast. If a cooked breakfast is not your thing there was a delicious looking continental offering with fruits, yogurt and pastries available too.
What I personally loved about Ye Olde Bell was how the accommodation, spa and eateries were all very independent but yet you could customise your stay to make it the perfect one for you. From single rooms to independent lodges, from spa breaks to overnighters passing through I genuinely think it has something for everyone and we will certainly be back.
Disclaimer: We received a complimentary stay for the purposes of this post. All thoughts and opinions were independently formed by members of The Oliver’s Madhouse.
Leave a Reply