We check out Northumberland's best kept secret - its only five star hotel, Matfen Hall

Matfen Hall, Country Hotel, Spa and Golf Estate, Northumberland

Arriving at Matfen Hall I read the Latin motto in the stonework above the entrance - Nunc aut nunquam - it’s now or never, but it could equally have quoted Madame Bollinger’s ‘there’s never a reason not to drink champagne’ as this is a place where the Laurent Perrier, like the fountain in the courtyard, is always flowing.

Walking into the grand entrance hall of Northumberland’s only five star hotel, it’s immediately apparent that Matfen is a place of unashamed decadence, a 19th-century Gothic country house of grand proportions with great hall, high, decorated ceilings, vast stained glass window, tapestries, orangeries, box hedges, grand pianos, drawing rooms, terraces and wine cellars, yet no shortage of cosy snugs and nooks, and 63 bedrooms that nail the current demand for quiet luxury.

Matfen Hall, Country Hotel, Spa and Golf Estate, Northumberland, the county's only five star hotel. Pic: Contributed

I’ve left the crowds of the Northumbrian coastline behind to head inland to discover the unspoilt beauty of England’s northernmost county where Matfen Hall revels in its country house setting in more than 300 acres of parklands and after a 2020 transformation by Walwick Estate Group offers fine dining, a championship golf course, spa with swimming pool, saunas and steam rooms and top quality food that puts it on the menu of foodies.

“We’ve got everything you find in the Lake District - the scenery, the history, the food scene - without the crowds and traffic,” James O’Donnell, formerly of Edinburgh’s Balmoral Hotel and head of commercial development, tells me. “Come to Northumberland and enjoy it before everyone else catches on.”

Budget or Boutique

It’s a 19th century Gothic country house retreat with a history dating back to the 17th century, with a 2020 multi-million renovation that offers contemporary five-star all the way. There are also eight self-catering apartments, Chesters Stables, in the Hall’s former livery yards 10 miles west and a short walk from Hadrian’s Wall and the remains of Chesters Roman Fort and museum.

The Great Hall at Matfen Hall, Northumberland. Pic: Contributed

JetBlue’s new daily low fare nonstop flight from Edinburgh to JFK airport is the best way to get to New York on a budget

Room Service

My double room is decorated in calming sage and taupe tones, with views over a leafy courtyard to mature trees and is within earshot of church bells from the adjoining village. Lansdowne Cashmere mattresses, tea and coffee making facilities and fluffy robes are provided as well as Penhaligon toiletries in the ensuite marble bathroom.

Wining and Dining

The Drawing Room and Emerald Restaurant, where afternoon tea is served. Pic: J Christie

Northumberland is fast becoming a foodie destination with five Michelin restaurants within a 25-mile radius of Matfen and the five dining area options at the hotel celebrate artisan and local quality produce. Chef Ernestus Van Zyl, formerly of Isle of Eriska leads with verve and style and in the dark wood panelled Emerald Restaurant, each course has you reaching for the superlatives. A five course tasting menu paired with wines (£85pp, £45 wine pairing) kicks off with king scallop with cashew nuts, cucumber and elderflower followed by Lindisfarne oysters, then a delicate halibut with aerated potato, beets and egg yolk, rounded off with fresh strawberries and cream and grapefruit ganache with woodruff crisp, each so beautifully presented you could put a gilt frame around it and hang it on the wall.

Dining in Cloisters restaurant, where an extensive a la carte breakfast is also served, gives you the chance to admire the architecture, with its stunning interior courtyard and mezzanine with views of the great hall’s stained-glass window, as well as foodie highlights such as pan fried scallops with green asparagus, chickpea and pickled shallot, fried salmon supreme with polenta, roasted gem heart and a dill caper butter.

Afternoon tea (from £39.50) is an occasion in itself so be sure to book in advance as it’s popular with residents and day visitors alike. Served in the elegant Drawing Room it’s all tiered towers of delicate sandwiches featuring oak smoked salmon, smoked avocado and fresh local free-range eggs, feather light scones with clouds of clotted cream and jam and Insta worthy patisseries such as peach and lemon thyme bavaroise with almond frangipane courtesy of head pastry chef, Laurèns Le Gal. And if you really want to push the boat out with a champagne option (from £55), why not launch it with a tasting flight of Laurent-Perrier Harmony, Brut and Rosé Champagne (from £65).

Visit the best hotel in the Highlands for a luxury adventure with amazing lochside views – The Kinloch Rannoch Hotel

Patisseries are a highlight of the afternoon tea served at Matfen Hall. Pic: J Christie

Worth Getting Out of Bed For

Golf is big at Matfen and along with the championship course there’s the newly-opened Keepers golf club house with restaurant and bar and tables on its panoramic balcony for small plates and stone-baked pizza, shop and a state of the art virtual golf suite in which we had fun honing our skills, while the Golf Academy with a driving range to practise is a buggy ride away.

The Retreat spa with swimming pool, thermal suites and fitness suites, with a range of treatments available smoothed away our exertions and I enjoyed a Skin-Zen Rose Facial with head, neck and shoulder massage from skilled therapist Rachel.

A trip out to nearby Hadrian’s Wall and Chesters Fort (five minutes by car) saw us roaming around the impressive Roman remains and imagining the lives of the soldiers billeted in the wilds of Northumbria, before admiring the multiple artefacts discovered on the site in the on site museum.

Nearby Corbridge village has cafes and boutiques to discover and the adjacent Matfen estate village is picture postcard perfect, with ducks sailing along a stream cutting through its centre.

Or why not just relax at Matfen with its beautiful gardens, stroll around the house then kick back on the huge terrace running along the front of the house with its sweeping views down over the fairway and out beyond the mature trees of Matfen Estate to the hills beyond? Sit back, inhale the heady scent of the blooms and watch the drifting butterflies and soaring housemartins overhead.

One of the 63 bedrooms at Matfen Hall which exude an atmosphere of quiet luxury. Pic: J Christie

If the weather takes a turn for the worse, Matfen is full of corners in which to curl up with a book - the1832 bar, The Snug, an armchair in your room - and there are books aplenty to borrow, including those by local bestselling crime fiction writer LJ Ross, which take place around nearby Northumbrian landmarks, from Holy Island to Sycamore Gap.

Little Extras

Matfen is beautiful but it’s the staff who make it, from the sommeliers who will take you on a tour and tasting in the subterranean wine cellars, to the informative waiting staff who take pride in the food they’re serving and housekeeping who make sure your stay lives up to expectations.

Prices: Rooms at Matfen Hall start from £265 including breakfast.

Address

Matfen Hall Country Hotel, Spa and Golf Estate, Matfen Village, Northumberland, NE20ORH([phone], www.matfenhall.com)

More Travel – Social Hub Glasgow, for digital nomads