As a travel writer I am honoured to stay in some wonderful places. Durham is a City I truly enjoy coming back to for weekend breaks and wanders. But until now I had never stayed in the Indigo Hotel whilst here. This was going to be a real treat!
I was here for the Durham Adventure Festival in April so the place was buzzing with shows and talks taking place. But being invited to stay here at Hotel Indigo Durham topped the special weekend off nicely for sure.
I shall be talking about the weekend itself in a further article but let me concentrate here on the accommodation. It deserved its own article in my opinion 🙂
The building oozes historical charm and luxury. And to be honest from the moment I walked through the door I can say it has one of the best group of staff I have come across. Naturally happy and friendly greetings from the reception all the way through. Nothing is too much hassle for them and they contribute to a warm and friendly vibe.
The building is one of the grandest and well placed you can find. Just beneath Durham Castle and cathedral and a short stroll into the City centre. This great Victorian building, originally called Old Shire Hall, dates back to being built in the 19th Century as the county council offices. hence now being a Grade II listed building.
From the 1960s up until 2012 it was then used as admin offices for Durham University before becoming empty and looking folorn. Then to the rescue came Hotel Indigo who have transformed the building both back into glorious life but also took it back to original Victorian fitting and luxurious style.
Luxurious Large Rooms
The rooms are large and decorated great for luxury needs of today with vintage twists in every direction. Quirky vintage items make every room unique and perfectly tasteful. The beds and soft furnishings are really comfortable plus the walk in showers are a dream to be honest, together with the lighting and bathing products.
The Bar
After a day discovering Durham it was a pleasure to walk into the glorious bar for a couple of cheeky cocktails. The ambience was refreshing for a hotel, we all know what generic hotel bars are like. The decor here though adds some wow factor into the mix.
The Breakfast
Well just off from the bar area is the restaurant/breakfast room and again the decor is breathtaking. It is the original central debating room from the original council use of the 19th Century.
This also isn’t just your average restaurant but a Marco Pierre White Steakhouse Bar & Grill. So as you can imagine, heading to breakfast is another treat.
In fact so much so a treat I came out of my ketogenic lifestyle to sample some glorious food to start the days 😉
Top tip, the eggs benedict, wow!
It was such a shame to miss the evening meals as I was out exploring around the festival. More on that coming soon too.
Summary
A hotel that has been perfectly decorated, in a great place with wonderful staff and food. That is very rare these days and these are truly my honest thoughts. Would I stay here again? You bet! Would the hotel in itself make we want to come back again specifically to Durham? Yes, you bet. Even when I was sharing my time here live on my social channels I was getting lots of fond feedback from those that have enjoyed a stay here themselves.
