On Friday 24th April, me and Martin set off for a mini adventure by the sea. I'd had the time booked off work to go away with a few fellow bloggers, but the plans fell through. I didn't want to waste my holiday dates, so me and Martin decided to have a long weekend away; one night in Scarborough, and two in Whitby. I was offered a chance to spend our first night away at Ox Pasture Hall, a luxury hotel situated just two miles away from Scarborough's town centre. This Scarborough hotel is the perfect place to escape from it all and truly relax, and that is exactly what we did! I wanted to take as many pictures as possible and show you as much as I can about our stay, so my thoughts on Ox Pasture Hall will be split into three posts. This post is a bit of a long one, and pretty picture heavy, so let's get into it!




We arrived at Ox Pasture Hall at about 2:30pm, after getting a taxi from Scarborough train station. Neither me nor Martin drive (yet), so this was our only option available to us, but it worked out very well. There is a taxi rank directly outside the station, and our journey was about ten minutes, if that. You can, of course, drive there and take advantage of the ample, free on-site parking should you so wish. When we arrived at reception, there was a few minutes wait until one of the managers, Alan, checked us in and showed us to our suite. The outside of the hotel is quite deceiving, as we were led through two courtyards to get to our room - it was a bit of an unexpected walk! We were asked what time we would like to have our dinner that evening in The Courtyard Restaurant (we chose 6:30pm), and told that if there was anything at all we needed, we could visit or phone reception and they would be happy to help.






The Suite

We were kindly given the Hornsea luxury suite for our one night stay, which is actually one of the honeymoon suites that they have available. To say that we were pretty blown away by our suite would be quite the understatement! It was hard to take pictures of the entirety of our suite, as my camera simply couldn't fit it all in, but hopefully you can appreciate the sheer size of the space we had. Out suite comprised of three rooms; a lounge, bedroom and luxury bathroom, all of which were very generously sized. The lounge, which was what greeted us when we walked in, had all of the facilities except for the bed itself. There was a sofa with a coffee table and flat screen television, along with a dressing table with mirror and a wardrobe. The bedroom featured the king-sized bed, a side table on each side and a chest of drawers, with another flat screen television. Both rooms were flooded with natural light thanks to the large windows, that looked out onto a part of the gardens and made for a lovely view. The downside to our suite was that it was very warm when we arrived, and the windows could only open right at the very top, so we couldn't really let any air in. However, we did find an electric fan in the wardrobe, which was a very welcome addition and sorely needed! We also had people walking past our window, which did made us jump at first as it was quite unexpected. However, it wasn't really an issue as we weren't in the room for very long, and when we got back we were drawing the curtains anyway as it was getting dark.




Our suite was very well kitted out, and had practically everything we needed to enjoy our stay. Tea and coffee making facilities were provided on the dressing table, along with a kettle and a packet of biscuits - it's the little touches that make the difference in a hotel! There was also two bottles of water, one plain and one sparkling, which was very much appreciated on such a warm day. The only thing that we missed that would have made the room even better was a mini fridge; there was nowhere to keep food or drinks cool. In the wardrobe was the aforementioned fan, an iron and ironing board, two soft and fluffy dressing gowns and an electronic safe, as well as hangers as you would expect (Martin was pleased to discover that they were regular hangers, instead of those theft-proof ones that you normally get in hotels). The hairdryer - a pretty good one, I might add - was in a drawer in the dressing table, and there was also a stereo next to the television. Martin couldn't get it to work with his phone as he didn't think to bring the necessary cables, which was a bit of a shame but we didn't end up missing it in the end. There is also free Wi-Fi available throughout the hotel, but we couldn't pick it up at all in our suite. To be honest, it was nice to put our phones down, and truly relax without any distractions during our stay. However, there was good signal in the restaurant, so I could upload a quick Instagram post before having our evening meal!






The entirety of the suite was tastefully decorated, with an element of tradition running throughout with the oak furniture and neutral colour scheme. It's not necessarily what we would choose to have in our own home as it isn't our style, but it's a theme that is suitable for everyone and it made the rooms look airy and bright. This hotel is dog-friendly, meaning that they welcome dogs to come and stay in any of the rooms. However, if I hadn't already known that I never would have suspected it; there was no trace of dog in any of the rooms, and everything in the suite was spotlessly clean, from the toilet to the carpet. Having two dogs myself, I know how difficult it is to keep a living space clean, dog hair-free and not smelling "doggyish", so I have to take my hat off to the staff at Ox Pasture Hall for a job well done!






The Bathroom

I knew with this luxury suite that the bathroom was going to be of a decent size; however, this one was absolutely huge! It was roughly the same size as the bedroom, maybe a bit bigger and had absolutely everything we needed. The most exciting part for me was the bath, with the waterfall tap - I could have quite happily stood there and played with it all day! I don't have a bath at home, only a shower, so for me having a bath available is a real treat. It was pretty big, too; when I was laid in it with my head resting on one edge, I could only just reach the other side with my toes, meaning that I could stretch all the way out and relax! Martin was happy too, as there was a big, walk-in rainfall shower - he doesn't do baths, even though he has one at home so he was quite content to claim the shower for himself. There was also, of course, the toilet, and two standalone sinks - one for each of us. This meant that I could spread out all of my beauty products and not annoy Martin by taking up all the space (I'm sure he'd disagree with me about that). Like the bath, these also featured waterfall taps and there was a large, well-lit mirror as well.





Included in the bathroom was a selection of complimentary toiletries from Gilchrist & Soames; aloe vera soap, conditioning shampoo, body lotion and body wash, all beautifully presented. We actually only ended up using the soap, as I had no need to use the other toiletries, but I was surprised to find that there was no bath products there. I suppose I could have used the body wash, but seeing as I had brought a bath bomb with me it wasn't an issue. Also available for use in the bathroom was a box of cotton balls, tissues, flannels, towels and a bath mat should we have needed them. The towels were a decent size (Normally in hotels we find that they don't go around you!), and wonderfully soft and fluffy.






The Grounds

After we had settled into our suite and had a quick refresh, we decided to go have a walk around the grounds and gardens. Unfortunately the sun had gone in after such glorious weather earlier in the day, but it didn't detract from the experience. We started by walking through the two courtyards; one immediately outside our suite, and the second next to the restaurant. Both courtyards are beautifully kept, and I can see how they would be popular with guests visiting in the height of summer. The courtyard that our suite was based off is in the centre of the newer extension of buildings that make up the hotel, and with the twin chairs, stone paving, palm trees and fountain, it reminded me of being abroad instead of North Yorkshire. The main courtyard was much more green, with flowers and plants that were just starting to come through for spring, a pool and more fountains. I can only imagine how colourful it would look in the middle of summer! There were also fairy lights strung up on the roof edges surrounding the courtyard, which made it look magical when we walked back through it at night.





After we had made our way through the bar, we exited near the front of the hotel, where there was an outside, covered seating area. Leading on from this was the gardens, which we took our time to walk around. Ox Pasture Hall is set within seventeen acres of its own grounds in the North Yorkshire Moors National Park, which means that it is perfect to explore on a longer stay or to walk with your dog. However, we were quite content with the immediate surroundings, and they offered a lovely view of the surrounding National Park. There was a footpath that led all the way around a big pond, that contained Canadian Geese, and on the whole it was well kept. There were a couple more covered areas with seating, with more palm trees, which I imagine would make for a lovely evening with a drink in hand in warmer weather. Our view was spoilt slightly by some landscaping that had yet to be completed, and towards the far edges of the gardens it was a little bare, but it made for a pleasant walk nonetheless. After our walk, it was time to head back and get ready for dinner. You will read all about this, and our breakfast the next morning in the next post, where the review about our stay will continue!






If you are looking for a relaxing break to recharge your batteries, Ox Pasture Hall is an excellent choice for both weekend breaks or a longer stay. Whilst we were there, I had to keep reminding myself that it is only two miles away from the town of Scarborough; it is so remote and so peaceful, you really wouldn't think it! It's location is ideal, as it is close enough to explore the town and surrounding areas, but far away from the rowdy town centre and perfectly situated to explore the surrounding North Yorkshire Moors. Ox Pasture Hall also host and cater for weddings, and have a Michelin approved restaurant that is open to both guests and outside visitors; both of which I will be telling you about in the next two posts. We had an absolutely wonderful stay, and left feeling refreshed and rejuvenated; the only downside we felt is that we couldn't stay any longer! We will definitely be returning for another stay in the future.

Disclaimer: Our stay at Ox Pasture Hall, including dinner and breakfast, was complimentary, in
exchange for my honest review. All thoughts and opinions are entirely my own and Martin's.