In the northernmost part of England is a storied landscape where Roman occupiers guarded a wall that divided kingdoms, Anglican invaders fought with Celtic natives and Noman lords built castles that still stand today. Amidst the sprawling hills, you’ll find a special Northumberland retreat. Here, guests will find a grand manor house surrounded by nature in the Matfen Hall country hotel.

Inside a grade II listed building built in the 19^th Century, visitors can discover 65 stunning rooms, several dining options, a beautiful spa and fitness suite and a challenging championship golf course. The estate has recently undergone a multi-million-pound refurbishment with extensive upgrades to the Great Hall, dining and bar areas and bedrooms.  The welcome drink is a rum punch, selected by the owner who resides in Antigua, enjoyed by guests as they marvel at the opulence of the Great Hall. To add to the atmosphere, a pianist plays wonderful music as one gazes up to the heavenly rooftop filled with stars.

There’s a spectacular winding staircase and a huge stained-glass window leading up to the cloisters. A grandfather clock chimes and the fire dances in the hearth, while a wonderful Autumnal bouquet perfumes the room. The rich heritage of this country hotel is reflected in every aspect. Matfen Hall is the ancestral home of the Blackett baronets who built the property in the 1830s. The former owner Sir Hugh was the great-great-great-grandson of the man who built the Hall. He inherited the property and estate in 1968 and they lived in it until 1999 when he and his wife Anna transformed it into a 31-bedroom hotel, conference venue, spa and golf course.

The hotel closed briefly and then reopened after an extensive multi-million-pound refurbishment in 2023 after its takeover by Walwick Estate Group to restore the stately home’s historic Great Hall, provide a stunning new airy bar with a mezzanine and adjoining Cloisters Restaurant and Bar and a state-of-the-art kitchen. In all these public spaces, beautiful paintwork accentuates the impressively high ceilings, while the original ornate cornicing in the rooms exudes quality.

The rooms

Each of the elegant rooms is filled with beautiful antiques and you’ll find Hypnos Lansdowne Cashmere emperor beds boasting 300 thread count Egyptian Cotton Sateen to ensure the best night’s sleep.  In the bathroom, you’ll find a standalone roll-top bath, walk-in showers underfloor heating and a Carrara marble worktop filled with Penhaligans amenities Sink into the comfy seats and pop the champagne that is chilled for you in the fridge.

Food and drink

Ernst Van Zyl is the new head chef, joining from the Isle of Eriska Hotel in Benderloch, Oban, a 5-star establishment where he held 3 AA Rosettes. He has worked at some of the best restaurants around the world, from Maaemo in Oslo, Norway; Restaurant Frantzen and Lindeberg in Stockholm, Sweden; Le Manoir Au Quat Saisons in Oxford; and Noma in Copenhagen, Denmark, which was named the Best Restaurant in the World in 2010, 2011, and 2012. He has also worked at the iconic Heston Blumenthal Fat Duck restaurant.

The Emerald Restaurant is a mix of  green, brown and gold. The room is designed to look like an expensive library surrounded by books with a high, intricately decorated ceiling and magnificent views across the estate.   After being welcomed with Tattinger champagne, the meal began with an amuse bouche of caramelised onion gougere with rosemary paired with Laurent Perrier la cuvée, champagne brut NV followed by the local lobster tail with lemon, capers and dill with the Sunset Chateau Ksara from Bekaa Valley in Lebanon, 2021 and Chateau Bela Egon Muller Riesling.

For the main course, guests will enjoy Beef Wellington with forest mushroom with bordelaise jus and baby summer vegetables which melt in the mouth. This goes well with the Joel Gott 815 Cabernet Sauvignon from Santa Helena California (2019) and the Macan Rothschild and Vega Sicilia, Rioja from Spain, 2018.  Round the meal with a Morangie Brie with quince jelly and caramelised walnut tuille that went well with the Finca Antigua Moscatel from La Mancha Spain, 2022 and a Muffato Della Sala from Umbria IGT Italy, 2019 finished with a Smith Woodhouse, 10 years old Tawny port and a Graham’s 20-year-old tawny port both from Portugal.  After this veritable feast, patrons can retire to the 1832 bar to enjoy the finest Ron Zacapa rum and Hepple sloe gin by the fire. This room is exquisite with intricate paintwork on the ceiling, what a place for an after-dinner chat.

Cloisters provide an all-day dining experience housed within the modern mezzanine area. Start the day right here with a Matfen breakfast which is delicious. Similarly, the eggs royale sets you up for the day. The restaurant also serves up tasty lunches with delicious sharing platters and more filling dishes such as the hearty burger topped with Monterey Jack cheese, bacon jam and avocado with fries, paired with a delicious chardonnay. Evening meals here are exquisite, and it’s recommended to dine in the mezzanine area beneath the stunning stained-glass window. A three-course meal is a pleasurable experience. Begin with the confit duck, spring onion and coriander croquettes and char siu sauce. followed by the risotto of local seafood-lobster, Shetland mussels, saffron, tomato, basil and a salted caramel brownie sundae. All this delicious fayre was paired with a Condrieu E Guigal wine.

Afternoon Tea in the Orangery

Guests can mark a special birthday with an Afternoon Tea at Matfen Hall.  The Orangery is a serene space decorated in bright greens with orange flowers and overlooks the golf course and the rolling hills. The Orangery’s light and bright atmosphere invites visitors to relax and catch up with friends over a selection of savoury delights and delicious sweet treats served on an elegant afternoon tea stand and china tea cups and teapots as well as a glass or two of Laurent Perrier’s Harmony Champagne.

Champagne tasting

The wine cellar stocks a fine selection of bubbly from Brut to the more complex and decadent Grand Cru varieties. During a fabulous champagne tasting guests can sample several types made by Laurent Perrier one of the finest names in Champagne. Feeling seriously indulgent, we opened a bottle of Grand Siecle named after Louis XIII, followed by the Laurent Perrier La Cuvee Brut and Laurent Perrier Blanc de Blancs. Alongside this was a La Della Vite by Delevigne prosecco and a Lyme Bay sparkling wine. It was hard to judge which one was the best as they were all exquisite, but the Grand Siecle had the most wonderful flavour owing to three vintage blends to bring out the best of them all.

Things to do at Matfen

Begin your day with a treatment at the spa where you’ll find Germaine de Capuccini and Natura Bissé rituals as well as Elemis products.  The experience begins when you get changed into your robes and are led to the individual treatment rooms for a blissful back and head massage. Once your muscles have been loosened you can recover in the eight-bed relaxation room or the aromatherapy suite. The hotel also has an impressive 15-metre pavilion pool which lies beneath an expansive glass ceiling, a Jacuzzi and a sauna to unwind in. There’s also an ice bucket for cold water therapy.

Matfen Hall has a championship golf course set in over 300 acres of mature parkland within established burns and woodland. This 27-hole course is rated as one of the finest in the Northeast. It is the same place the PGA Super 60s is held and there’s also a driving range for rainy days.

At Christmas, families can enjoy a magical winter wonderland with an ice-skating experience at Le Jardin Hollandaise. Mums can sip on Laurent-Perrier Champagne while the kids take a warming hot chocolate before taking a twirl on the rink. Later they can also engage in wreath-making workshops and a festive grotto before browsing the stalls on the Christmas market. For festive shopping excursions hotel can also arrange chauffeur driven transfers to the Fenwick Department store in Newcastle Upon Tyne or back to the station.

Hadrians Wall and Vindolanda

Northumberland was once an independent kingdom that stretched from the Humber to Edinburgh, and it is a place where Roman soldiers once guarded a frontier known as Hadrian’s Wall and Vindolanda was their garrison.  History buffs will be in their element for the hotel is just a half-hour drive from Vindolanda. Built in the first century AD, it was an important Roman frontier and today visitors can meander through historic alleyways which have been unearthed and admire the stunning structure as well imagine the lives of the soldiers and civilians who lived here. It was here that the Vindolanda Tablets were discovered,  considered among the most important Roman artifacts ever excavated in Britain. These are proudly on display at the Visitor Centre. Ancient Britain tour guides are available and a visit the site is a stirring experience. One can’t help but be astounded at the sheer magnificence of the Roman Empire and just how advanced they were

The property is also close to the Hareshaw Linn Waterfall where you can go on a magical walk-through ancient woodland and cross six bridges to arrive at a stunning nine-foot-high waterfall. You’ll find lots of species of trees from oak, hazel and ash which are home to Daubenton’s bats, redstarts, dippers and squirrels as well as woodpeckers. The Sycamore Gap is also an area of natural beauty and widely photographed for its dramatic dip in the landscape, which was created by glacial meltwater. It was recently home to one of the most photographed trees in the country, an emblem for the Northeast of England.

Leaving a piece of your heart at Matfen

The hotel is a 20-minute drive from Newcastle, just far enough away from the bright city lights to be a designated dark skies area. The location, as if not serene enough, is the perfect place for a memorable stargazing experience. Overall, Matfen Hall is a perfect place for a girl’s mid-week break to celebrate a big occasion. Here you feel at home and like a member of the family.