A room with… A ROLL-TOP BATH
At The Cookie Jar, a smart blue-hued boutique hotel in Alnwick set within a former convent, the star suite is The Chapel. As the name suggests, this is a hallowed Northumbrian space where guests get to drift off to sleep in a huge sleigh bed before wandering down, the following morning, to a breakfast of homemade granola, the full English or local Craster kippers. The real USP, however, is the suite’s vast copper tub, set on a stage-like platform in the opensided bathroom. Draw yourself a bath, then lie back and soak up the jewelled glow seeping through the suite’s stained-glass windows. cookiejaralnwick.com
If you want to stay within stumbling distance of that tub, the hotel’s bistro serves elegant date-night dishes in equally plush surroundings. For extra magic, though, it’s worth booking at The Alnwick Garden (). Open for dinner on weekend evenings, the interior may be all rough-hewn timber and fairy lights, but there’s nothing rustic about the food. Dishes range from hearty fish stews with local crab bruschetta, to venison loin with celeriac purée, roast potatoes and buttered spinach.
