Mr B and I will happily travel far and wide for a perfect weekend away, but it certainly is nice when we find somewhere not too far from home.
In just under one hour after leaving home, Mr B, JoJo and I arrived at Ye Olde Bell Hotel and Spa, located in the small village of Barnby Moor.
The hotel offers a variety of rooms, but with JoJo with us, our accommodation of The Grove lodge couldn’t have been more perfect.
It is set just off the hotel’s courtyard, with parking directly in front. The downstairs to our spacious two-story lodge had a wonderful living area with two sofas, a dining table and a kitchenette. It offered so much room and was the perfect space to relax in.
Tea and coffee is provided as well as a delicious homemade shortbread biscuit each, aptly shaped as a bell.
Upstairs was our generously-sized bedroom. I loved the matching fabric bedding and wallpaper, a lovely feature keeping within the country décor which flowed throughout our lodge.
The en-suite bathroom had a walk-in shower and a roll-top bath which I enjoyed a lovely soak in. Plenty of toiletries are provided, shower gel, shampoo, conditioner, body lotion, dentil kit, shaving kit and soap.
The hotel is home to a spa, but this isn’t your average hotel spa that just has a pool, one sauna and a few lounges. This standalone spa is home to an indoor/outdoor pool, has three saunas, a steam room, foot spas, a salt relaxation room, a snow experience and rainforest walk-through shower with a cold bucket shower (if you are feeling brave enough).
I booked three hours in the spa, of which I spent the entire time relaxing, and every minute was utterly wonderful! The staff in the spa were as equally welcoming and friendly as all the hotel staff we had encountered.
In the spa, ice water, fruit infused water and three herbal teas are complementary for all guests, but if you fancy a drink off the menu you just order it from one of the spa team and it will be brought to you whilst you are relaxing away on your lounger.
If you book a hotel room this doesn’t grant you access to the spa, however, there are a variety of different packages you can book or you can simply book spa access separately.
When not taking advantage of the hotel’s countryside location for a lovely walk with JoJo, relaxing in the spa or enjoying a cup of tea in our lodge, we additionally took advantage of dining at the hotel.
We enjoyed our evening meal in the bar area, which is dog-friendly.
Browsing the menu, Mr B and I opted for the same starter which was the ‘Smoked Salmon on crispy polenta, poached egg, mixed salad with honey mustard dressing’. It was light, fresh and I really enjoyed the addition of the crispy polenta.
For my main, my decision was made fairly quickly when I was told the homemade seasonal pie was chicken, leek and ham hock. It was a perfect pie, lovely golden pastry with an abundance of rich, tender filling. With lashings of the homemade gravy and the incredible homemade triple cooked chips, it was absolutely delicious and I enjoyed every forkful.
Mr B thoroughly enjoyed his main. He opted for the 8oz sirloin steak, cooked medium rare which came with confit vine tomatoes, portobello mushroom, beer-battered onion rings, triple-cooked chips and his choice of a stilton sauce.
For dessert I chose the absolute classic, Sticky toffee pudding which came with a toffee sauce and a choice of cream or vanilla ice cream. It was a lovely light sponge which tasted rich and decadent with the additional lashings of toffee sauce.
Mr B’s dessert choice was the Apple & Cinnamon tarte tatin, caramel sauce and Chantilly cream’. Again, he equally loved his choice and cleared his plate. We both agreed on what a beautiful, hearty, home-cooked meal we had both enjoyed.
After a restful night’s sleep for all three of us, we made our way to breakfast. There is a small buffet of pastries, cereals, yoghurt and fruits, with a menu to order hot options from.
Whilst I enjoyed a cinnamon Danish, I perused the menu and opted for the classic Eggs Royale.
It was delicious, perfectly poached eggs, silky hollandaise and a generous amount of smoked salmon.
Mr B opted for the traditional breakfast, which came with locally-sourced sausages, grilled back bacon, grilled whole tomato, baked beans, mushroom, a hash brown, local black pudding and eggs cooked to your choosing. Mr B went for fried and enjoyed the cooking and quality of the breakfast.
Staff were all too happy to also bring a sausage for JoJo!
The Ye Olde Bell offered us the perfect weekend of rest and relaxation. A beautiful lodge, friendly staff, lovely food and the jewel in the crown, that wonderful spa.
https://yeoldebell-hotel.co.uk/
