Yorebridge House Boutique Hotel

We don’t know about you but we can pretty much tell everything we need to know about a hotel within the first few minutes of arrival here at The Coolector. It all boils down to the welcome for us and you quite simply won’t receive a warmer one than that of Yorebridge House Boutique Hotel which is nestled in the heart of the Yorkshire Dales.

Upon arrival at Yorebridge House we were met by the hotel’s proprietor, the wonderfully friendly, Dave Reilly, who is also the hotel’s chief cheerleader and speaks so proudly of what they have achieved over the last few years. And rightly so. You’ll not find many hotels in the world that have managed to accumulate quite as many accolades as Yorebridge House which includes Winner 2016 & 2018 Small Hotel England and Visit England Excellence Awards and during our, all too brief, stay here we can safely say they richly deserve each and every one.

There is a great story behind the Yorebridge House Boutique Hotel which is located in the Wensleydale area of the Yorkshire Dales directly next to a river which delivers a relaxing vibe the minute you get out of the car. The story of how Yorebridge House was transformed from drab tourist board outpost to luxury boutique hotel began back in 2005, when Dave Reilly and his wife Charlotte were browsing the internet at their home in Yorkshire when a particular property caught their eye.

It was a rather unloved looking building in the idyllic little village of Bainbridge, Wensleydale. It was right on their doorstep, which considering they had spent years searching Europe for their hotel, has a certain sense of irony. It took eighteen months of rebuilding and converting the Headmaster’s House and old Grammar School of Yorebridge House into a restaurant with rooms and it is now AA 5 star highly commended Restaurant with Rooms, and the only 3 Rosette Restaurant with an AA UK Breakfast Award in the Dales.

Green & Pleasant Land

It’s not hard to see why the Yorkshire Dales have served as an inspiration to poets and authors for centuries because there just isn’t anywhere else like it in the world and one of the best parts of a stay at Yorebridge House is the journey through the dales to the hotel where you’ll encounter hair-raisingly winding roads which are dotted with sheep ambling about their business. There is an undeniable charm to the Dales that is impossible to put your finger on and a stay at Yorebridge House will allow you to enjoy it to the fullest.

The first thing that you’ll notice upon arrival and this first class boutique hotel is the friendliness of the staff – from Kelly on reception to Paul and Rocio working in the bar and restaurant. Nothing is too much trouble for them and it is this sort of friendly atmosphere that really makes a stay as good as it can be in our opinion here at The Coolector. It certainly doesn’t hurt when the hotel is as attractive and well thought out as Yorebridge House as well, of course. With a one in a million location to boot.

If luxury is your thing, then Yorebridge House has got the bedrooms for you. Divided into six bedrooms in the main house and six hot tub rooms in the outbuilding, each one is named after a place close to the heart of the hotel owner, Dave Reilly. We stayed in the fantastically appointed and sumptuously comfortable Pienza room which is named after the spot in Italy where they spent their honeymoon. Other rooms include the utterly breathtaking Greenwich Loft Suite which is named after New York and, quite frankly, has to be seen to be believed and the Jasper Suite after a cancelled skiing trip which led to the marriage of Dave and Charlotte.

It is these little touches which really add a personal touch to the aesthetics of the rooms at Yorebridge House and each room has been decorated using materials and artwork pertinent to the place it has been named after. Everything from the bedding to the toiletries has been carefully considered and chosen to be as luxurious as possible whilst remaining in keeping with the laid back atmosphere that the hotel in the heart of the Yorkshire Dales has.

We were lucky enough to see a number of the different bedrooms at Yorebridge House and each one was a true sight to behold and amongst the most breathtaking we’ve encountered in all our years of travelling here at Coolector HQ. They are a real credit to what husband and wife team, Dave and Charlotte Reilly, have accomplished since they took the keys for Yorebridge House into their possession.

Exemplary Food & Drink

It’s not just with the rooms that Yorebridge House excels. They are also in a league of their own in the food and drink department as well. If you count yourself as a wine aficionado, you’ll be blown away by Yorebridge House’s partnership with Laurent-Perrier and they have an incredible Laurent-Perrier Grand Siècle Tasting Room in the basement of the hotel which is filled with the wine maker’s finest offerings and can be hired out for private events. With space for up to ten guests, the walls are lined with hundreds of bottles of sommelier selected wines, champagnes and ports from all over the world, making this space ideally suited for that extra special occasion where you want an experience that you will remember forever.

Yorebridge House has established a nationwide reputation for the quality of its food and we were lucky enough to experience why first hand during a three course dinner. Head chef at the hotel, Dan Shotton, has designed menus which aim to complement the character and attributes of Yorebridge House and reflect their passion for fine dining. These menus excel in design, flavour and innovation, and they are served in a relaxed, romantic atmosphere where the wonderfully friendly and knowledgeable staff enhance the experience still further.

The exquisite looking food has won awards aplenty and Yorebridge House ensure that they use nothing but the best local ingredients in all their wonderfully inventive dishes. In 2017, the hotel launched their own kitchen garden which now supplies cresses and herbs for many of the restaurant’s starters and cocktails and they have plans afoot to extend this garden further to make themselves even more self-sufficient. Whilst we’re not far from fine dining experts here at The Coolector, it is clear that a lot of love and thought has gone into the design of the menus at Yorebridge House so it is great that they are receiving so many accolades and awards for their endeavours.

A Stay To Remember

If you’re looking for a break this summer that sums up everything that is great about the United Kingdom, you’ll find all this and more at Yorebridge House. Nestled deep in the heart of the Yorkshire Dales, it is a beacon for boutique hotels and what they should aspire to. Born from a passion for the dales and a love of luxury, this superb hotel is definitely one of the favourite places we’ve stay at The Coolector and they have plenty of exciting plans afoot in the coming years that will keep us coming back. Thoroughly recommended.