Seaham Hall

If it’s good enough for Lord Byron, who was married here, it’s good enough for us, though to be honest things have changed a bit in the clifftop Georgian mansion since his day. Now Seaham Hall is a five-star boutique bolthole with a glammed-up interior and twenty individually designed suites – no such thing as mere rooms here – featuring king-sized beds and plenty of luxurious fripperies, from designer toiletries to Nespresso machines. The Garden Suites are particularly lovely, with their own outdoor terrace and access to a private lawned garden.

The hotel pitches itself firmly at the pamper-yourself brigade – there’s the fabulous Serenity Spa, for a start, that brings people here from all over the country, which has a twenty-metre pool and outdoor terrace hot tub. There are also two restaurants, ’Byrons Bar and Grill’ and ’Ozone’, the latter a pan-Asian place within the spa. If you’re getting the idea that no one wants you to leave, you’re probably right – the views from the outdoor terraces are amazing, over the lush hotel gardens and local Heritage coastline. Cocktail in hand, with another on the way, you’re not going to argue.