The Cookie Jar, Alnwick, named the best place to stay in the north

A luxury Alnwick hotel has been named as the best in the north in the latest Sunday Times guide to the top places to stay in Britain.
A bedroom at The Cookie JarA bedroom at The Cookie Jar
A bedroom at The Cookie Jar

This weekend, the Sunday Times reveals its definitive list of the 100 best places to stay throughout the country. The selection is split into eight regions: London, South-East, South-West, Central, East, North, Wales and Scotland.

And The Cookie Jar in Bailiffgate has been announced as the regional winner for the North. The boutique hotel in the former St Mary's Convent has only been open for just over a year but is already making waves in the hospitality world.

Hotel manager Mick Holland and Katie Thompson in the garden at The Cookie Jar in Alnwick. Picture by Jane ColtmanHotel manager Mick Holland and Katie Thompson in the garden at The Cookie Jar in Alnwick. Picture by Jane Coltman
Hotel manager Mick Holland and Katie Thompson in the garden at The Cookie Jar in Alnwick. Picture by Jane Coltman
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Hotel owner Debbie Cook said: "We are absolutely delighted and very, very proud. It has been an amazing season for us, with 90% occupancy in the four months from June to September.

"Thanks to our interior designer, we have created a very beautiful place to stay, but you can have the most wonderful rooms yet people really want to be well looked after and the team we have here are brilliant. You can train staff to make coffee properly or clean rooms but you can't teach them to be nice - that comes naturally."

The Sunday Times Best Places to Stay guide says: “Half a bowshot from Alnwick Castle, it exploits every nook and cranny of a former convent for its 11 luxurious rooms. Occasionally, a cross carved in the back of a chair or the framed pages of pious hymnals serve as reminders of the building’s earlier life, but mostly it’s the god of comfort that’s worshipped here now. The sisters would be stunned.”

The guide will be available in the paper this Sunday or via the online interactive guide thesundaytimes.co.uk/bestplacestostay

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There are also winners in eight different categories: Foodie, Seaside, City, Country, Family, Romantic, Pub with Rooms, and Budget.

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