Ye Olde Bell Hotel and Spa - Review

In these gloomy winter days, my husband and I like to get out and about visiting places we have never been to, indulge in some fine fayre and generally give ourselves a little pick me up. With his birthday looming and last year’s ‘big birthday’ put on hold due to, well you know what, we decided to push the boat out at one of the county’s finest country hotels - Ye Olde Bell at Barnby Moor, Retford.

This gorgeous coaching inn, dating back to the 17^th century stands proud on the Old London Road, in the middle of the North Notts countryside. As inviting a sight today as it must have been to weary travellers in the 19^th century. A young Queen Victoria reportedly stayed here with her mother - the Duchess of Kent in 1835 on her way to a music Festival in York. Over the years, Ye Olde Bell has seen many guises, from coaching house, hotel, film location, and even an army barracks during the second world war!

As well as the Queen of England resting her head here, Queen Maude of Denmark kept her own rooms here in the 1950’s! There is even a glorious connection to another Queen - the ill feted Lady Jane Grey, said to walk the Bradgate Suite, named for her childhood home and where the original panelling derived, I was hoping though that we weren’t going to bump into her over the weekend!

As we entered the hotel the atmosphere was warm and relaxed, with couples and friends enjoying afternoon drinks in the bar and snug where a real fire roared.

The reception we received from the lovely staff at Ye Olde Bell was very welcoming and after a quick check in, we were shown to our room; to our surprise not just any room but the Queen Victoria Suite; the very one that she stayed in! The suite was opulent and grand with a reception room and a bedroom boasting a state bed, decked in satins and silks! A free-standing Victorian bath added to the extravagance in the bathroom too. Just incredible, how lucky we were!  We had booked in for an afternoon in the spa, dinner in the 1650 bar and restaurant boasting an AA Rosette, along with an overnight sty. Very indulgent but very much needed, especially in January which seems never ending!

As tempting as it was to order room service and stay in our own beautiful lounge room, we had a date at the spa to get to…

This hotel’s fascinating history alone makes this a unique place to visit but I love the fact that Ye Olde Bell has never stopped evolving. In 2017 the hotel opened its own luxury spa. A beautifully designed building houses the spa in the grounds of the hotel, offering that luxury touch to those staying overnight but also encouraging day visitors to relax and unwind. We’d chosen to visit the spa in the afternoon on Saturday and as a birthday present I’d arranged for my husband to have a massage too, lucky boy!

Upon arrival we were greeted and shown to the locker rooms and given information about all the different experience rooms, saunas, salt rooms, herbal steam rooms and pool along with in built Jacuzzis. Most importantly we were given a menu for the delicious food and drink available from the Herb Garden Brasserie. With the head chef, Richard Allen, in possession of an AA Rosette and a qualified personal trainer, we knew that the food would be something else, but, saving ourselves for dinner in the main restaurant later that evening, we went straight in for the bubbles; well, it was a celebration after all!

I did wonder if my husband might feel a little self-conscious sipping prosecco in a robe and slippers, but, no fear, he loved every minute, as did I! His treatment was a full body massage with an hour’s duration. He assured me that he did have many aches and pains to ease away and it wouldn’t be easy to get him to relax, but when he emerged from the treatment room, he looked like he was floating! Whilst he was occupied, I had settled myself in the warm jacuzzi pool with a glass of prosecco and literally whirled the time away; heavenly! We couldn’t fault the spa experience, I’ll be booking in again soon!

All good things come to an end as they say and once our spa experience had finished we both glided the short distance back to our suite to freshen up for dinner.

We were seated in the 1650 restaurant, set up in a silver service style and grand in its décor with oak panelling and twinkling chandeliers. It’s been a long time since either of us have taken the time to dine in such elegant surroundings. With a young family it’s easy to go along the route of what the kids want for dinner when eating out, so this was such a treat for us both with no one to please but ourselves!

What a menu to choose from! It was evident that three courses were going to be the only way forward as there were just too many tempting dishes to select. We both decided on baked king scallops to start with accompanied by a thermidor glaze and hazelnut crumb; this course did not disappoint. Mouth-watering scallops that simply melted away as they were eaten. Generous main courses of monkfish with pickled wild mushrooms and watercress rosti, followed for my husband whilst a chargrilled rib eye steak followed for myself along with portobello mushrooms, onion rings and triple cooked chips, all washed down with a beautiful merlot. The food was simply stunning, a taste explosion but combined with exceptional presentation; you can tell that there is a lot of pride in the food that comes out of the kitchen and rightly so.

It's a well-known fact that we both can get blinding food envy when eating out, especially over deserts. Thank goodness then that we went for the same pudding from the specials board, a light crème brulee infused with orange and served with a cinnamon shortbread - a taste sensation.

It's worth noting that the restaurant caters for all dietary requirements and has a stunning Plant-Based menu, that was launched especially for Veganuary, due to popular demand this will continue to be a regular offering alongside their main menu. From the get go I knew I would order steak but seeing these intriguing options on the menu did make me think twice. I know from the experience of dining with vegan/vegetarian friends that it is not always guaranteed they will have a wide selection to choose from, so, it is refreshing to see a specially made menu such as this, making sure that everyone has a culinary experience to rave about!

Two hours whizzed by fuelled by good company and great food finished off with a night cap from the bar. With an exhausting afternoon of relaxation and an evening of indulgence we were fit for nothing more than bed and retired to our suite where we proceeded to sleep like royalty!

We couldn’t recommend Ye Olde Bell more highly for a weekend break a spa experience or for its fantastic food. Staff are beyond friendly and the facilities in both the hotel and spa are of a superb standard.

Many famous faces have passed through the doors of Ye Olde Bell over the years, including the likes of Queen Victoria, Charlie Chaplin, Bing Crosby, and Shirley Bassey…now we can add our names to that list too!

For more information and offers see our special offers page and visit https://www.yeoldebell-hotel.co.uk/ 

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Review written by Anna Scott, Commercial Partners Executive