Mr & Mrs Smith

If you feel like a trip outside of Harrogate Fountains, Abbey and Studley Royal Gardens near Ripon are fabulous. Perfect for a stroll which combines history, beautiful architecture and pristine landscaped gardens, with several places to stop and get a cup of tea and a piece of delicious cake.

Lovely place, with extremely friendly staff who remembered our names the whole weekend. The Kir Royale was one of the best I've ever had, helped by the fact it was complimentary. Breakfast was good, freshly cooked and offered a great choice. We would use this hotel again.

The staff at this hotel are all really, extremely friendly and efficient, from the helpful receptionists to the great cocktail bar waiter, the night porter and the very pleasant breakfast staff. Couldn't fault anybody. Although we didn't have an evening meal, the breakfast was excellent with good quality food, beautifully cooked and presented. The room we had was No. 11, it was a good size with a large bathroom, and nicely furnished with white French-style furniture. The bed was very comfortable. The style throughout the hotel is shabby chic, which did extend to a couple of handles missing from our chest of drawers, but it was a very small matter. Take note, this room is on the 2nd floor and there isn't a lift, which was fine for us but maybe not easy for everyone. A couple of really lovely touches in the room, along with the usual tea and biscuits, were the cafetiere, real coffee much appreciated, the bottled water, still sparkling, the white bathrobes, the 2 upholstered chairs, along with a small chaise, the turn down service and the good quality bathroom products. A really enjoyable 2 night stay at a very reasonable price. We can happily recommend the Harrogate Brasserie for good food and jazz on every night but Saturdays. All mains are £16. We had nicely cooked venison and lamb with a good selection of starters and desserts at £5 each. We would have eaten at the hotel first night, but having had afternoon tea at Betty's (a must and bookable 1-4pm Sat & Sun), we were not over-hungry, but there wasn't really a light option on the menu and all mains are £22.50. I suggest you get a map of the centre as it is quite higgeldy-piggeldy in layout and, if you're like me, it's easy to loose your sense of direction. Luckily the Balmoral supply a good one at reception. Harrogate has good shopping from high end Hooper's to Primark and everything in between. A lovely Montpellier Quarter with lots of nice eateries and an antique centre to browse around, also Jenny's tearooms, which serves lovely cakes which we sampled, and lots of snacks for lunch, you won't starve whatever the time of day in Harrogate, with lots of individual places to choose from as well as the usual, like Cafe Rouge. There's also a nice Italian place I forget the name of, with a 2-storey glass frontage. It's opposite and just down from the side entrance of Debenhams. They do interesting tapas-style antipasti plates to share. Ours was yummy, just enough without being too heavy, and the most amazing meringues, a meal in themselves. This is just touching the surface. Harrogate definitely got our vote as a good 2-night place to visit, along with the Balmoral, which is an easy 10 minute stroll from the centre.

An easy walk from the hotel, the Valley Gardens are the perfect place to take a stroll. We brought our dog and Harrogate is incredibly dog friendly. The hotel was particularly thoughtful and accommodating. Highly recommend the Balmoral!

Van Zeller restaurant in Harrogate is an excellent dining experience that I would highly recommend. They are aiming to get a Michelin star and I would think they are on the right path. The restaurant is small and very focussed around the customer. You can choose from a tasting menu or a la carte – the tasting menu was excellent value for money and gave a great cross-section of the creativity of the chef. Even my partner who isn't into desserts said the dessert was his favourite of the five courses we had.

We loved our stay at the Balmoral. We expected the decor to be special and stylish and it did not disappoint. The staff there were really very helpful and personable and the food was fantastic. We were lucky enough to sit at the corner table in the window for breakfast and enjoyed the fresh breakfast. Dinner at the hotel's Harrogate Grille restaurant was also really tasty and good value. Harrogate is a great town and I would definitely recommend a stay at the Balmoral. We have friends who are planning a trip to Harrogate and have already recommended that they stay here.

No need to leave the hotel- the restaurant (Harrogate Grille) was great!! The service was superb and the food (evening meal and breakfast) was exceptional- I'm trying to find fault with it but I can't. We would definitely go back to the hotel and restaurant!

Walking from the Balmoral to Harrogate town centre only takes a few minutes and you can see beautiful Victorian architecture on the way. Once there, I strongly recommend a stop at Betty's Tea Rooms for breakfast or brunch; they make wonderful scrambled eggs on toasted muffins with bacon or smoked salmon! After this light snack, an afternoon at the Turkish Baths makes for a moment of pure relaxation in one of the finest historic spas of the UK.

Spent a long weekend at the Balmoral and of course we just had to pop into Bettys Tea Rooms. Twice. Go around lunchtime and you'll invariably join a queue that snakes around the glass and wrought iron building. It is a popular haunt. But at around 3.30pm you should get a table no problem. Try the 'fat rascal', it will keep you going 'till late into the evening.

If you're looking for a special spa treat then try the Urban Retreat on Parliament Street, Harrogate. After relaxing there, head straight to Betty's for traditional afternoon tea. Perfect!

Whilst the hotel was absolutely lovely, there was plenty to do out and about in the town so we took advantage! Everyone you speak to will tell you to go to Betty's Tea Rooms at 1 Parliament Street (+44 (0)1423 502746) take their advice, its huge and beautiful inside and a great pitstop. Another must is the Victoria Gardens in the centre of town, these were gorgeous and the size of some of the plants had to be seen to be believed!! Lunchtime advice would be that quite a few of the lovely little restaurants tend to stop serving at 2/2.30 so late lunch isn't an option! Final tip, as we'd driven we thought we'd make use of the car boot and purchase a few things for the flat - can't rave enough about the most beautiful interior design shop in the town centre called Caroline Gardner at 8 Montpellier Parade (+44 (0)1423 568034). Enjoy!

Indulge in some delicious but pricey tea and sweet nibbles in the famous Bettys Café Tea Rooms. A little further afield from Harrogate take a drive to Knaresborough, a pretty little village with lots to see and do, from learning all about England's first prophetess, to soaking up the amazing views from the Castle ruins, sampling all the delicious ice cream parlours and tea rooms, then burning all the calories off with a trip along the river in a rowing boat. A great way to spend an afternoon.

For delicious food presented in stylish but relaxed surroundings, try Quantro on Royal Parade. Quantro provides a great menu that changes regularly and the fantastic 'menu Qu' is great value with three courses for less than £15. We have eaten there on many occasions and have yet to be less than delighted with the food and service.

We ate at Est Est Est, a minute's walk from the lovely Balmoral Hotel. Great atmosphere, attentive service and the food was delicious....but VERY small portions! Pasta with prawns was starter-sized so I had to share my main, a pity because everything else was perfect.

The Balmoral Hotel was lovely, niche and personal. Decor very contempoary and the room was fab, particularly the four-poster bed and the roll-top bath. The service was excellent – especially Louise on reception who could not do enough for us. Food was very enjoyable – a great stay and I will return for more!

As a previous resident of Harrogate we already knew of the wonderful Rajput restaurant (7–11 Cheltenham Parade) and as always enjoyed a fabulous meal there. The food is second to none and the lively yet not intrusive atmosphere complements the food perfectly. Arrive before 9.30pm if you don't want to wait for a table.