Mr & Mrs Smith

In search of a stay somewhere really stylish, we arrive in Harrogate, laden with luggage and wearied by a muggy train ride from London. The criss-crossing steep streets of the city centre are busy with people looking for Bettys (the famous tea rooms which are more Harrogate than Harrogate itself). But we’re not looking for tea. We're looking for the Duchy.

 

Located a short walk up from the tea-room-hunting frenzy, Duchy Road is leafy, quiet and calm. The foreboding Victorian house where we will lay our heads looms largely but its bright beige stone makes its eaves look less frightening, more friendly. The gravel-covered drive requests one last trudge before we're safely installed into a ready-made home for the evening.

 

And a fine one it is. A perfect urban retreat, style hangs off every door knob. The dark floor of my apartment leads into a gloomy (but in a gorgeously Gothic kind of way) lobby, where the wood is moody and menacing mirrors grace the walls. The master bedroom has a similarly sombre tone – set by the aubergine walls and ominous open space behind the huge head board (I had to have a quick check behind there for bogeymen before bedtime. All I found was a desk). Elsewhere candles fit for an altar tower from their sticks and boldy patterned wallpaper lurks behind doors.

 

The mood lightens in the fully equipped kitchen where I find a hamper filled with Bettys products (there really is no escaping this woman and her celebrated baked goods). It’s too good to resist tucking in even though it’s lunchtime and it’s meant for breakfast. One mouthful of muffin and I’ve forgotten that I’m scared of my bedroom.

 

We start to appreciate the opulence of the design. It may be dark but it’s by no means dingy. And there are enough windows to lighten things up if necessary. Plus, if I get too scared, there’s a pale-hued, softer apartment with gilded furniture free downstairs. Or a sleek silver, red and grey one with bright walls. And a vast, spacious suite spanning a whole room. The Duchy has every kind of guest covered.

Reviewed by Caroline Lewis