A stay at Grantley Hall - the chicest Yorkshire escape possible

If you’re anything like me, Grantley Hall has probably been sitting on your “one day” hotel list for a while. It’s one of those places you constantly see on Instagram looking impossibly beautiful and just slightly out of reach. So when I finally got the chance to visit recently, it felt like a real treat, and safe to say it completely lived up to the hype.

Grantley Hall sits just outside Ripon in North Yorkshire, tucked away in the most stunning countryside setting. From the moment you arrive, it feels incredibly grand but still somehow warm and welcoming at the same time.

We were greeted with coffees and taken to the beautiful drawing room to check in, which immediately set the tone for the whole stay. It felt relaxed, welcoming and a very lovely way to arrive rather than standing at a reception desk.

As our room wasn’t quite ready yet, we headed straight to Fletchers Restaurant for lunch while we waited.

The menu is classic British comfort food done really well and exactly what you want for a relaxed afternoon. We ordered the cheese soufflé, which was light, fluffy and honestly one of the best I’ve had. Alongside that we had fish and chips and a club sandwich, both perfectly done. I’ve also had the beef Wellington at Grantley Hall on a previous visit, and it was honestly one of the best things I’ve ever eaten. It’s served as a proper tableside experience, making the whole thing feel incredibly special, definitely one to try if you get the chance.

After lunch we headed up to the room, and to start the stay on a very good note, we had been complimentarily upgraded to a Deluxe room, which instantly elevated the whole experience.

The room itself was beautiful; spacious, elegant and filled with thoughtful touches. Waiting for us was their signature Damson Gin, shortbread biscuits and fresh fruit, which immediately made it feel like a proper treat. And hidden in the cupboards were the comfiest thick robes and slippers.

Next up was what Grantley Hall is arguably most famous for - The Three Graces Spa.

The spa is genuinely one of the most impressive hotel spas I’ve visited. The facilities are extensive and beautifully designed, making it very easy to lose a few hours moving between the different pools and thermal rooms.

There’s a large indoor pool, a stunning outdoor vitality pool overlooking the gardens, plus a hydrotherapy pool with massage jets that’s perfect for unwinding. Alongside that you’ll find sauna and steam rooms, a Himalayan salt therapy room, foot spas and even a snow room, which is definitely a fun one to try after the heat rooms.

Around the spa pool there are large day beds that feel more like private cabanas than loungers, with thick cushions and curtains that make them incredibly comfortable, the perfect place to stretch out and properly switch off between dips in the pool. Everything feels incredibly calm and luxurious.

One thing that really stood out throughout the whole stay was the staff. The service at Grantley Hall is honestly next level. As you walk around the hotel, staff greet you by name and go out of their way to make sure everything is perfect. It’s those little touches that make the experience feel so special; they clearly recognise that staying there is a treat and make you feel completely looked after from start to finish. You genuinely feel like royalty.

That evening we had dinner at EightyEight, Grantley Hall’s pan-Asian restaurant that combines Yorkshire ingredients with Far Eastern flavours, and it’s very much a full dining experience rather than just a meal.

And honestly… we may have got slightly carried away because everything on the menu sounded too good not to try. We started with duck pancakes and a mix of small plates , including chicken and kimchi dumplings and karage chicken bao, which were absolutely incredible.

For mains we had the black peppered dry aged beef fillet with ox cheek and the gochujac and maple glazed chicken alongside XO fried rice and spicy udon noodles. Every dish somehow topped the last, the kind of meal where you keep saying “this might be my favourite thing we’ve had tonight”.

By the end of it we were completely full… but by the time we got back up to the room, we of course found some room for dessert and called down to have it sent up. And it was very on brand for me - a matcha crème brûlée (which was WOW) alongside a brownie, which we happily ate back in our robes. The crème brûlée is actually one of their signature desserts, served with raspberry sorbet and matcha shortbread.

The next morning started exactly how you want a luxury hotel morning to begin, coffee and pastries.

Breakfast at Grantley Hall is a full event in itself. We had fresh coffee, croissants and eggs, but the real standout was their vintage cheddar rarebit, which was honestly incredible and absolutely worth ordering if you stay.

Before heading home, we decided to make the most of the facilities and joined a complimentary morning yoga class, which felt like the perfect reset after such an indulgent stay.

And just when we thought the experience couldn’t get any better, we arrived back at the car to find bottled waters and chocolates waiting for the journey home - a small detail, but one that perfectly sums up the thoughtfulness of the whole stay.

Grantley Hall is definitely a special occasion kind of place - it’s not cheap - but if you’re celebrating something or just fancy a truly luxurious countryside escape, it’s undoubtably one of the most impressive stays in Yorkshire.

Safe to say it’s firmly on my “must return immediately” list.