The Times has just named its list of the best hotels in the country – and a hidden York gem is among them.
Many of the locations on the newspaper’s list of 100 Best Places to Stay in Britain for 2023 are grand five-star manor houses or chic city centre hotspots.
But just one is described as being found on “a nondescript suburban York street”.
The Vices, on Alma Terrace, is the only York hotel on the 2023 list.
The Times‘ judges write: “The location is unlikely, the concept extravagant, yet the whole provides a hard-to-resist Italian seduction.
“On a nondescript suburban York street, a Victorian red-brick former police station has been transformed into a ‘private-house’ hotel of flowing, art gallery-like spaces and fabulous designer furniture.
“Cool and uncluttered — with just three ridiculously large suites — the place has a delicious whiff of la dolce vita courtesy of Italian couple Moreno Carbone and Daniel Curro, who designed and own it.
“The tasting-menu dinner is modern European — skilful rather than ostentatious — and served with Italian wines sourced by sommelier Daniel. Glamorous, intimate, beautifully relaxed; it’s worth the price tag.”
The Vices comes in with suites for £400 a night, and a tasting menu at the Allium restaurant for £80 per person.
Unusually, the hotel explicitly welcomes polyamorous guests, saying: “Our suites all include super king sized beds, and if we know how many guests are attending, we’ll ensure that the appropriate number of amenities including robes, towels and slippers are provided.”
The best places to stay guide also includes three North Yorkshire venues:
- The Angel at Hetton – “North Yorkshire is one of England’s gastronomic hotspots right now, and the Angel is its most divine experience”
- The Alice Hawthorn, Nun Monkton – “Before you know it, you’ll be ensconced in the airy, grade II listed inn, munching your way through superior pub grub”
- Grantley Hall, near Ripon – “As your car sweeps up the drive, the River Skell pounds by on one side and Pride and Prejudice-worthy gardens appear on the other”
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