Grey Street Hotel

About Grey Street Hotel

Grey Street is regularly voted one of the finest streets in Britain, a long classical curve of Georgian stone laid out in the 1830s by Richard Grainger and John Dobson, and the Grey Street Hotel has one of the better positions along it. The building is Grade II listed and the conversion has kept the original staircase, cornicing and tall windows while adding strong accent colours and modern lighting - the result reads as boutique rather than heritage.

There are 49 en suite bedrooms across the upper floors, in a range of sizes from compact doubles up to superior rooms and suites. Front-facing rooms look straight down Grey Street towards Grey's Monument or up towards Dean Street, which is a genuine pleasure first thing in the morning. Rooms are air conditioned with free wi-fi, and the building's age means ceiling heights and window proportions vary from floor to floor. Being on a busy central street, light sleepers should ask for something at the rear at weekends.

Downstairs in the same building is Leila Lily's, an AA Rosette restaurant and bar known for its florally over-the-top interior and a menu that runs from brunch through to late cocktails, and City Retreat, an urban spa offering treatments to guests and non-residents. The hotel is part of the Malhotra Group, a long-established North East family business, and it has the feel of a locally run operation rather than a branded one.

Everything central is on the doorstep: the Theatre Royal is two minutes away, the Grainger Market and Eldon Square about five, and the Quayside a short walk downhill. Central Station is roughly ten minutes on foot. There is no on-site parking, so use one of the nearby multi-storeys or arrive by train.