HOME TEAM

One thing’s for sure, after weeks of lockdown there’s no better feeling for hoteliers than to be throwing open their doors again and welcoming visitors back. For guests, it’s looking forward to a well-earned break from the confinements of those familiar four walls of home. So from a first time seaside opening to a well-established country house reopening its estate, here’s a taste of time away.

WHITBY WEEKEND BY HELEN STURGEON

I thought I’d had my share of lifechanging experiences, and then Covid-19 arrived, and it felt like the world was at its mercy. Life as we knew it changed with words like “furlough” and “pandemic” becoming part of everyday life. Working from home, washing your hands at every opportunity and social distancing was the new norm. So, when lockdown lifted and I had the chance to escape, I needed one thing; the sea and all its sensory qualities. After feeling so trapped and cooped up I needed the sound of the tide to fill my ears, the smell of the salt, the sea air in my lungs and even just the sight of the vast waves, reassuring me that I was no longer sitting on my laptop at my kitchen table.

I live about 75 miles inland, so the seaside for me is still novel. Whitby has long been one of my favourite places on the Yorkshire Coast and I’ve stayed there many times. I went searching for something new, and boy did I find it; welcome to the Jet Black Jewel on Skinner Street, Whitby’s newest boutique hotel. I hurriedly booked 2 nights last minute for my husband and I, not realising we would be their first paying guests on opening weekend. My initial thought was “who opens a new hotel during a global pandemic, in one of the most popular holiday destinations in the UK?!” I was intrigued, excited, and a teeny bit apprehensive. But to be honest I was just happy to be getting in the car and actually going somewhere. Even the petrol station felt new!

Coming over the moors and seeing Whitby nestled in its romantic, isolated peninsula, I already start to feel better. As the clouds cleared, my mood brightened as the sun twinkled on the sea. We came in on West Cliff, stopped at the Whale Bones for the obligatory selfie, then headed to Skinner Street. The Jet Black Jewel occupies what used to

be Scarborough Council offices, an underrated double-fronted, 3-storey building on Whitby’s West side. The creative signage draws you in and the ground floor has been sympathetically restored into a beautiful space for a café bar. The bare brick and original stained glass windows add to its appeal and we were keen to get inside and have a nose around. Currently the café remains closed, but I’m excited to see what the future holds for this creative, social space.

The contactless check-in is easy to use, and a genius idea especially during the current climate while we’re all trying to be safe. We entered the bright clean hallway and headed upstairs. There are 9 bespoke bedrooms, all lovingly designed and finished with an individual theme in mind. When designing around a theme, there is a fine line between quirky and tacky. But the Jet Black Jewel have nailed it. Inspirational, imaginative, and boutique all the way.

Top to bottom: Newly opened Jet Black Jewel Hotel Whitby. Not only does each room have its own story to tell, but there is the usual finishing touches you’d expect to find in boutique accommodation, really comfy beds, fluffy white towels, great soap and tea & coffee. My favourite part is a little black book illustrated by the artist responsible for the impressive wall art. Guests are expected to take the book home and I enthusiastically encourage everyone to do this. It’s a really thoughtful finishing touch to your experience. The book told me so much more about Whitby’s peculiar history and legends and it explains the inspiration behind the bedrooms. We stayed in the “Penny Hedge” room which is inspired by a local ceremony from centuries ago which Whitby still celebrates today. St Hilda’s Suite and the Maharaja Suite are the largest rooms and both on the third floor with those much-coveted sea views across Whitby and the Abbey. After reading the black book, I became quite obsessed with the Maharaja of Mulgrave…East meets West Cliff! You might be in Whitby, but once you imagine the Maharaja’s elephants promenading to Sands End, your imagination sweeps you back in time. Even the sound of the seagulls faded, as I fell asleep in my big comfy bed, imagining the elephants, the Far East and all its mystery. I took a moment to really appreciate being in a hotel by the sea. A little normality in the most surreal of times.

It’s no secret that here at Welcome to Yorkshire, we’ve suffered in the wake of COVID-19 along with so many fellow businesses. The staff here truly love Yorkshire, we care about Yorkshire and its success. It’s our passion. We’ve seen businesses suffer tremendous loss. The redundancies, the closures, the lives lost. As we celebrate Yorkshire’s glory, in turn we feel it’s heartbreak. But we’ve also witnessed tourism survive. Not as it was, but it’s alive and clinging to the rocks. So, imagine if you will, my elation when I heard about a new hotel opening. What a time to open a hotel. The Jet Black Jewel is a credit to the owner’s tenacious determination. A perfect example of Yorkshire true grit. It’s clear to see the love poured in to the details, the finishing touches, the time spent restoring the building and the very bones of the hotel. Being by the sea, eating fish & chips and marvelling at the thought of elephants on the beach has lit the fuse in my imagination. My weekend at the Jet Black Jewel inspired me. It quashed my bleak mood and replaced it with one of hope. Hope for businesses, hope for people and hope for Yorkshire. Guess which room I’ll be staying in next time? Namaste Yorkshire.

Top to bottom: Top to bottom: Amazing accommodation & delicious dining at Middleton Lodge in Richmondshire.

RURAL RETREAT BY CAROLYN NICOLL

Middleton Lodge, an impressive Georgian countryside estate in Richmondshire, North Yorkshire, had been on my ‘rural retreat radar’ as a place to stay for some months, when I booked a night away there for my husband and I to celebrate our wedding anniversary in February. However, the planned weekend didn’t quite go to plan, as we packed our bags the heavens quite literally opened and the rain came, and came, not just a shower but torrential downpours (quite unprecedented and pretty biblical to be honest), floods were forecast and roads became rivers. So the wonderful weekend was put on hold and rearranged, the month of March was now to be the time for our rural relaxation, delicious dining and woodland walks. Fast-forward to the end of March and life as we knew it went into full lockdown as pandemic pandemonium prevailed and the coronavirus crisis created a catastrophe across the county, the country and the globe (quite unprecedented and pretty biblical to be honest).

Jump forward to July and third time lucky we made it to Middleton Lodge, as lockdown was starting to lift. The experience couldn’t have been more enjoyable and anyone with any slight apprehension about venturing away can be reassured that the team had pretty much thought of everything, from a contactless check-in at the gatehouse, to staff being masked at all times, hand sanitisers positioned around the place, plus amazing accommodation with separate entrances for each property. We stayed in the delightful Dairy 3, a stunning suite with the biggest copper bath I’d ever seen.

The Coach House restaurant offered a mouth-watering menu and distanced seating inside, plus a vast outdoor dining area amongst gorgeous grounds. There are bikes to ride around pretty paths, woodland walkways and a wonderful walled garden, a complete carpet of colour, brimming with beautiful blooms. A blissful break away.