4 Best Hotels in Durham, The Northeast

Lovingly restored, this Grade II–listed Victorian town house, set on a quiet, narrow street just across the river from the castle and cathedral, is Durham's best city center stay. Each of the boutique hotel's bedrooms provides a comfy king-size bed, modern bathroom, and eye-catching (often floral-themed) decor, but the very best ones have an added bonus: bay windows that frame a stunning view of Durham Cathedral. Rooms are linked by a spiral stairway lined with elegant stork wallpaper and bird-related artwork, as well as light fixtures in bird cages. Start each day with an excellent breakfast in the ground-floor dining room, and end it with a limoncello from the honesty bar in the cozy lounge. The center of town is a short (but steep) walk from the hotel, though you have to climb back up the other side of the river to visit the castle and cathedral.

Just a short drive or taxi ride from the center of town yet surrounded by a sea of green, Ramside Hall is one of the most luxurious stays in the Northeast. The main hotel has some good rooms and wonderful suites, but the treehouses are even better—they're built on stilts and set in woodland overlooking the two 18-hole championship golf courses surrounding the hotel. Each of the one-, two-, and three-bedroom treehouses offers a spacious living room with a gas fireplace and enormous TV, a well-equipped kitchenette, a modern bathroom with a free-standing copper bath, and a spacious terrace with a hot tub and steam room. Shuttle buses take you from the treehouses to the main hotel complex, where there are two excellent dining options (try the pan-Asian restaurant Fusion) and an ultra-modern spa with pools galore.

This is a real Norman castle, right down to the dungeons and maze of dark flagstone corridors—one room even has a bathroom hidden behind a bookcase. Antiques and rich fabrics lend the castle rooms a sumptuous feel (those in the courtyard annex are less expensive, but also less atmospheric), while the bar and lounge areas are fittingly decked out with historic portraits and chandeliers. Dine in the modern and surprisingly inexpensive Black Knight—perhaps the hotel's most beautiful room—or join one of the regular, and somewhat corny, Elizabethan banquets (one goblet of red wine and one of mead included). You'll find the hotel just east of Chester-le-Street, around 8 miles north of Durham on the road to Newcastle.

In 1815, Lord Byron married Annabella Milbanke in this foursquare mansion on a cliff top overlooking the sea; today, the sumptuous contemporary interior is a haven of coastal luxury. Stately suites have their own fireplaces, original artwork, two-person baths, and exotic flowers. At the equally elegant restaurant, indulge in dishes such as loin of venison and root vegetables flavored with chocolate. Make some time for the excellent Serenity Spa, inspired by feng shui principles. Seaham is right on the northeastern edge of County Durham, a 25-minute drive from the city of Durham.