With the Friday feeling coursing through our veins, my son Jack and I screeched down to the Radisson Blu in Durham for an overnight stay which will live long in the memory.
Durham remains the Quintessential British University city, a maze of cobbled streets, buoyant nightlife and riverbanks so picturesque it makes you want to pick up a paintbrush.
Occupying an enviable location on the banks of the river, the hotel combines its city centre location with the best features of a destination retreat with a salubrious in-house spa and fitness centre, not to mention a modern British brasserie ‘Collage’ on site.
The hotel boasts a lovely, capacious, open-plan reception area with vast floor to ceiling windows affording much natural light on a glorious, early springtime evening.
We were checked in cheerily by the hotel’s very amenable reception staff before ditching the bags and heading out for all downtown Durham has to offer.
Few hotels boast so many UNESCO world heritage on the doorstep with the city’s world famous castle and cathedral within easy walking distance. However, 5’oclock and in high spirits, Jack and I swerved the culture in favour of a few classic local hostelries.
Returning to the hotel, we were equally impressed by the high quality of our guest suite. The hotel comprises 207 bedrooms in total, each resplendent with that trademark Radisson contemporary design and cutting edge technology. Ours was a haven of comfort and convenience, well equipped with Flat Screen TVs, plush armchairs and boutique toiletries. Ours even featured a hi-tec Nespresso coffee machine and panoramic views of the river.
After a quick blast in the walk-in shower and a change for dinner, we arrived at the hotel restaurant Collage with high anticipations. Its extensive menu combines many Classic British dishes with modern inflections and a mouthwatering grill menu where the diner is free to mix steaks, sides and sauces however they fancy.
Jack kicked off with a warming leek & potato soup, embellished with a slick of oil and served with a fat hunk of sourdough. The soup packed freshness and that telling depth of flavour.
I opted for the barbecue chicken wings, spiked with fresh chilli and a similarly fresh Asian side salad which complemented perfectly.
Moving on, the two trencherman sought robustness in the form of rib eye steak, expertly cooked to the shade of medium rare and served with thick cut chips, peppercorn sauce and giant, bangled onion rings.
Totally replete, we swerved desserts but lingered into the night over an exceptional bottle of malbec which set the meat off exquisitely.
The following morning, after a full eight (!) hours sleep, we were refreshed enough to venture down to the spa for a morning tune up. Here with the latest resistance and cardio equipment, we worked up a strong appetite for breakfast back in the hotel’s bright and airy eatery.
After a sumptuous stay, we headed home relaxed, recharged and re-energised. Or as you might say, re-radissoned!