Hotel du Vin Newcastle

About Hotel du Vin Newcastle

Hotel du Vin Newcastle occupies Allan House on City Road, a red brick and stone Victorian building put up for the Tyne Tees Steam Shipping Company and set on the bank just above the eastern end of the Quayside. The conversion has kept the heavy staircases, tiled entrance hall and tall sash windows, and layered the group's familiar look over the top: dark wood, leather, wine paraphernalia and a good deal of exposed brick. From the upper floors the view runs west along the river towards the Tyne Bridge and the Millennium Bridge.

There are 42 rooms and suites, generally larger than the city-centre average, with roll-top or freestanding baths in many of them, monsoon showers, Egyptian cotton bedding and hand-sprung mattresses. The loft rooms under the eaves have the most character; the river-facing ones command a premium and are worth it if the view matters to you. Several suites have separate sitting areas that work well for longer stays.

Bistro du Vin is the centre of the operation, a proper brasserie doing French classics with British ingredients, open to non-residents and busy at weekends. The wine list is the group's calling card - a long, well-annotated selection with a strong showing by the glass - and there is a private dining room in the old cellars for groups. Breakfast is cooked to order rather than buffet.

The location is a compromise in the best sense. You are five minutes walk from the Quayside bars and the Millennium Bridge, and roughly ten uphill minutes from Grey Street and the Grainger Market, which means you get the riverside without the late-night noise of the Bigg Market. Central Station is about fifteen minutes on foot, and there is a car park adjacent for an additional charge.