Short stay: Best Western Beaumont Hotel, Hexham, Northumberland, UK

For a recent sailing weekend at Derwent Reservoir, we stayed at the Best Western Beaumont Hotel in the Northumberland market town of Hexham. We’d often passed Hexham travelling from Cumbria to the north-east along the A69, but rarely had much time to spend there. Previously awarded the title of ‘England‘s favourite market town’ in Country Life magazine, Hexham lies close to the border between England and Scotland, and it is in fact well worth spending a few days there. The welcome Prior to our arrival at the hotel, we had called ahead because we were running just a little late and were booked in for dinner that evening. We were assured that this was not a problem and, on arrival, were warmly welcomed and told to make our way to dinner in our own time. We were immediately made to feel that nothing was too much trouble. We were also asked if we had managed to park OK. As it happens, we had no trouble parking in the spaces just across from the hotel entrance on each occasion we needed to, but the hotel does have its own car park also. The room We stayed in two rooms on the second floor: Room 22, which looked out towards the Sele (one of three public parks in Hexham)… …and the ‘Hadrian’ room which overlooked the Methodist church next door. (Please excuse the starbursts on this image – I hadn’t realised the camera was in that mode!) The hotel does not have family rooms so we’d asked for two twin rooms so that we could each accompany one of our children, rather than have them stay in room on their own together. The bathroom Each room has its own immaculate en suite – room 22 had a shower, whilst the Hadrian room had a bath. The facilities We dined at the hotel’s Park Restaurant each night and enjoyed our meals there. We’d recommend the black pudding and pancetta parcels with a tomato and herb sauce from the starters. Also the warm mini goat’s cheese crottin with a blueberry compote hit the spot. From the mains, try the honey and orange glazed duck breast with pan fried spinach and red peppers and sautéed potatoes. For dessert, the warm chocolate brownie with vanilla ice cream was a unanimous favourite. Other nice touches We liked the hotel’s location and, in particular, Hexham, which is picturesque and very easy to walk around, with all the town’s amenities within walking distance of the hotel. One of the town’s main attractions – Hexham Abbey – is just a stone’s throw from the hotel, at the other end of street. Visitors are welcome and, events and services permitting, the abbey is open from 9.30am to 5pm each day. It dates back to 674 AD and welcomes over 100,000 visitors each year. As mentioned, the reason for our trip was to attend a sailing event at Derwent Reservoir and the sailing club there is just a 20 minute drive from the hotel. Cost Rooms start from just £90 (room only, advanced purchase rate). The best bit One of the best bits about the hotel for us was the staff. Although quite a young staff for the most part, we found everyone to be so friendly and accommodating, from the welcome at reception through to the waiting on staff in the restaurant. It made for a relaxed, unpretentious atmosphere that is so often missing from many hotels. The final verdict Whilst not in the league of many five star hotels we’ve stayed in (it doesn’t set out to be), the Best Western Beaumont Hotel is very comfortable, good at what it does and a credit to the Best Western brand. It has recently changed ownership, and new owners Roger and Magdalena were keen to hear any feedback ahead of a planned refurbishment. We wish them well with their new venture! Disclosure: Our stay was courtesy of the Best Western Beaumont Hotel.