Ox Pasture Hall Hotel & Scarborough

We have just returned from a wonderful stay at Ox Pasture Hall Hotel * in Scarborough. Andrew and I haven’t visited Scarborough since we were children, so we were very excited at the prospect of visiting the seaside town as well as the hotel.

Our suite

We were lucky enough to be offered a night in one of Ox Pasture’s beautiful suites, which were built in August last year, we stayed in room 30 ‘Wetherby’, the room opened into a spacious lounge area complete with wardrobe, dresser, sofa and flat screen TV. The bedroom was very spacious, with one of the most comfortable bed’s that I have stayed in for a while, with a super thick duvet and full, fluffy pillows. For me, the most beautiful part of the suite, was the bathroom, with a large sunken bath, his & her’s sinks, and a waterfall shower.

Afternoon Tea

After looking around our suite and putting our things away, we decided to have afternoon tea; we hadn’t booked, but it wasn’t a problem for the hotel to accommodate us. We opted to add a little extra sparkle to our day with a glass of bubbly each to accompany the selection of sandwiches, scones and cakes. I have to say the scones were incredible; extremely light and possibly the best I’ve ever had (which is saying something as I love a good afternoon tea). We made short work of the food and headed into the bar/lounge area with a beautiful log burner heating the room; it wasn’t long before the fire started to send me to sleep, so we had a quick walk around the manicured gardens.

Grounds

The manicured gardens were stunning, even on an extremely windy afternoon! The views of the North York Moors were spectacular and you could see for miles. Had I not almost been blown over (ok, maybe a slight exaggeration), we’d have spent longer in the gardens, but I’d definitely love to explore them on a summers day. We headed back to our room for a nap and the largest bubble bath before getting ready for dinner.

Dinner

We booked our table for 8:30, but decided to head to the bar for pre-drinks at 8pm. When we arrived we were given our menus and a complimentary bottle of prosecco, which neither of us expected. I struggled to pick each course as I would have happily ate anything on the menu, but I chose scallops to start, Andrew chose root vegetable soup, and we both went with the beef cheeks for main.

We were then shown to our table, where we received an amuse bouche of trout on filo pastry with horseradish (it was divine). We were then brought chive and white bread, with salted and smoked butter, before our starters arrived. Andrew definitely had food envy when he saw my scallops, which were accompanied by a delicious pork belly, even though his soup was gorgeous (I had to try some). Our beef arrived shortly after and was cooked to perfection; it simply melted in our mouths. The presentation of the food was impeccable! We were served a palette cleanser of pina colada sorbet before ordering dessert, I had spotted a selection of cheese on the menu and as a cheese fiend I had to order this, Andrew went for the chocolate fondant, which would have seen any chocaholic transported to heaven. We then headed back to our room for a great night’s sleep.

breakfast

Breakfast is served until 10am on a weekend, so we headed to the dining room around 9:30. There was a selection of cereals, fruits, juices, pastries and bread, as well a hot breakfast menu. Andrew and I both chose the full Yorkshire breakfast (no brainer!), I went with fried eggs and Andrew chose poached. We were brought toast to start, and the table had been set with butter and a selection of jams and marmalades. The breakfast was absolutely delicious and kept us full for our trip to Scarborough. We checked out with ease and got on the road to head to the seaside.

Scarborough

As I said earlier, neither Andrew nor I had visited Scarborough since childhood; I had visited with school, where we stayed in a B&B, so this visit was far more luxurious! Thankfully the wind had settled somewhat, so we were able to get out of the car and walk along the promenade. We headed to South Bay first, which is a typical seaside resort, with penny arcades, sweet shops and plenty of fish and chips outlets, including Harry Ramsdens. We had intended to get fish and chips, but we were still so full from our breakfast that we couldn’t manage it. Despite the chill, the beach was busy with dog walkers and people out for a leisurely Sunday morning stroll. There were a couple of chain restaurants also; Ask and Pizza Express, which overlooked the seafront.

We then got back into the car and headed to North Bay, which is a lot quieter, with a few coffee shops and Peasholm Park. It is also close to the Sealife Centre, so plenty to keep the kids entertained, apparently I’m too old to visit (thanks Andrew!). We wandered along the beach front, where we were met by brightly colour chalets, which I’m sure would spring to life on a sunny day.

As I’m from a seaside town myself, I thoroughly enjoyed walking along the promenade and the sea air; I find it very relaxing and the beach has always been one of my ‘happy places’. We both said that we don’t do enough days out like this, so we’ll be planning a few more in the New Year.

If you’re heading to Scarborough, and looking to stay in one of the Scarborough Hotels, I can’t recommend Ox Pastures Hall Hotel enough; it is far enough away from the seaside to feel as though you’re in the middle of nowhere, yet close enough to see the sea in 10 minutes. We both noted how friendly the staff were, from Paul’s welcome, to Leonie’s advice on the best fish and chips, we thoroughly enjoyed our weekend and have left feeling thoroughly relaxed.

Lauren xxx