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Middlethorpe Hall & Spa

Name: Middlethorpe Hall & Spa
Address: Bishopthorpe Road, York, GB

★★★★·9.4/ 10Excellent

·Hotels

📍Bishopthorpe Road · York ↗

📞+441904641241·Official site ↗

Check-in 04:00 PM / out 11:00 AM

Offsite parking discounted rates availableFitness facilities (surcharge)Health or beauty spa nearbySwimming poolLuggage storageFax/photocopyingAll 28 facilities +

Review

Official

York's Highest rated hotel in the AA Hotel Guide 2011 Just 2 miles from York's city centre, Middlethorpe Hall hotel and spa offers a great location, as well as lovely rooms and facilities. The beautiful building is surrounded by private gardens, making it ideal for a peaceful rural retreat. The hotel offers an excellent restaurant, gym, sauna, steam room, and massage treatments. Built in 1699, Middlethorpe Hall is an original William III country house. It has been fully restored and is now carefully decorated with antiques and fine pictures. The gardens and parkland have also been restored and include a white garden, a walled garden, a small lake and some beautiful trees. Now part of the National Trust, all profits of the hotel are donated to the charity.

Guest scores & sentiment

From 277 guest reviews · multi-source · as of 2026-07-11

Guests praise the butler-style service, historic ambiance, and gardens. Main drawbacks include small rooms, inadequate bedding sizes, dated spa facilities, and issues with noise, lack of AC, and drafts due to the building's age.

Dimension scores · cross-source

Service9.6

Cleanliness9.6

Facilities9.4

Surroundings9.4

Location9.2

Value8.8

Rooms8.0

＋ PraisedExcellent butler-style service · Historic charm and comfortable beds · High-quality food and breakfast · Peaceful setting and beautiful gardens

－ ComplaintsSmall and inconvenient bathrooms · Drafts and noise due to single glazing · Long waits for dinner tables · Some bathrooms are small or inconvenient

KEYIdeal for history lovers seeking personalized service. Note potential small rooms, no AC, and draftiness.

FAQ · grounded in hotel data & reviews

locationHow is the location and transportation convenience?＋

Overlooking York Racecourse with a high location score of 9.2. However, it lacks free shuttle service to the city center, requiring taxis or self-driving.

diningWhat is the dining experience like?＋

Offers creative British cuisine with garden views. Guests praise the high quality and variety, though some note breakfast costs or limited oat milk options.

coupleIs it suitable for couples?＋

Highly recommended by 164 couples for its butler service and historic ambiance. Note that some bathrooms are small and restaurant wait times can be long.

familyIs the hotel family-friendly?＋

Children are allowed. Families praise the attentive staff for events and the comfort of rooms/gardens, though some bathrooms are small and booking coordination issues occur.

roomWhat are the room facilities and services like?＋

Elegant rooms with modern amenities and exceptional butler-style service (score 9.6). However, some rooms are small, beds may be undersized, and soundproofing is poor due to the building's age.

facilityWhat leisure facilities are available? How is the spa?＋

Features an indoor pool, sauna, steam room, Japanese garden, and gym. However, spa facilities are noted as dated, and some showers are inconvenient. Extra charges may apply.

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Nearby & map

DiningSights

Roots

Modern Cuisine · ★ Michelin

££££

Set in a quiet area of the city, this attractive Arts and Crafts building is little sister to the Black Swan in Oldstead and shares its ethos of seasonality and sustainability. Tasting menus evolve naturally according to the availability of produce – which originates from their kitchen garden, small regional suppliers and chef-owner Tommy Banks’ parents’ farm. Creative, modern dishes are carefully prepared and deceptively simple to look at, yet offer great refinement and depth of flavour. There’s plenty of choice on the well-chosen wine list, with everything available by the glass.

3.5km

Skosh

Modern British · Bib

££

This bright, lively restaurant is still one of the hottest tickets in town, and it's easy to see why. Located just up the road from Micklegate Bar – a 12th-century gateway to the city – its name comes from the Japanese word meaning ‘small amount’, referencing the menu's sharing-plates format. Six or seven dishes is about right between two, with each one incorporating bold, precisely balanced flavours with real skill. Indian cuisine has a palpable influence on the cooking, but so does the rest of the world – with dishes like masala monkfish and the superb hogget 'shawarma'.

2.9km

Melton's

Modern British

£££

Just outside York's bustling city centre, you'll find this cosy neighbourhood restaurant where the walls are covered with murals of ingredients and happy diners. It's apt décor for a place with a passion for local produce and a warm, inviting atmosphere thanks to the long-serving team. The ambitious cooking is underpinned by the natural flavours of the high quality ingredients, and the strong classical technique of the experienced chef is evident – if a soufflé is available for dessert, make sure you order it.

2.3km

Legacy

Modern British

££££

The Grand Hotel – built in 1906 as the HQ of the North-Eastern Railway Company – is a building that certainly lives up to its name. Among its historic interiors lies Legacy, a formal restaurant with an elegant feel thanks to its parquet flooring and marble-topped tables. The kitchen is strong on technique and fuses Yorkshire ingredients with Japanese influences, from the use of ponzu to a chawanmushi-like dish of shiitake custard. The knowledgeable service team keep things running smoothly.

3.1km

INOS

greek

££

Located in York’s buzzing centre, this relaxed restaurant brings a sunny taste of Greece to the historic city. It’s a simple, cheerful place with an informal bistro vibe and friendly service. The cooking presents great value for money, especially at lunchtime, and offers well-executed versions of classic dishes: start with pita and dips, then share the likes of ‘keftedakia’ meatballs or moussaka, before ending on a sugary note with the ‘Portakalopia’, a Cretan cake with orange syrup. Greek wines and spirits add to the authenticity.

3.1km

The Star Inn The City

Modern British

££

As locations go, this buzzy all-day brasserie is in a real gem – even in a city with as many pretty spots as York. Part of the same group as The Star Inn at Harome, this city centre spin-off occupies an old brick-built engine house next to the Museum Gardens, with large windows and a lovely terrace overlooking the river. The menu of carefully cooked dishes has a pubby base and blends modern execution with a pleasing gutsiness – underscoring it all is the top Yorkshire produce, with seasonal influences leading the way.

3.3km

Fish & Forest

Modern British

£££

The name is a clue as to this intimate restaurant’s focus, as well as to its sustainable ethos. Tucked down a narrow cobbled-street in York's pretty city centre, not far from the famous Shambles, its menu focuses on fish from small boats, meats reared putting husbandry first and game from local shoots. All parts of the ingredients are used too, so that the constantly evolving blackboard menu produces little waste. The self-taught chef's cooking has an ambitious edge, with dishes proving to be fresh and vibrant. The friendly team add to the appeal.

3.4km

Arras

Modern Cuisine

£££

On the edge of York’s buzzing centre, you’ll find this brick-built former coaching house. Inside, there's a Mediterranean feel to the white-and-blue décor, while an enclosed terrace is ideal for the summer. The cooking gets off to a great start with stand-out bread from their bakery, Little Arras, before dishes that are guided by the seasons and feature inventive touches and combinations. Cheese lovers should save room for the excellent British selection presented on a handmade oak trolley, while wine enthusiasts will be delighted by a well-curated list – including a strong English showing.

3.5km

Click a row to locate it · distances are approximate. Data from Overture / Michelin / Wikidata.

Middlethorpe Hall & Spa

Guest scores & sentiment

Room types · 5

One-Bedroom Suite

Courtyard Superior Double Room

Main House Deluxe Double or Twin Room

Courtyard Standard Double Room

Courtyard Single Room

Facilities · 28

Nearby & map