High Times At The Hilton

Sitting proudly on the south bank of Newcastle's Quayside, Hilton Newcastle Gateshead remains an emblem of the city's fine leisure & hospitality industry.

Its prime riverside location and stellar brand of customer service continue to make it a firm favourite of locals and travelling out-of-towners (I once bumped into Neymar in the lift), not to mention a key spot for business meetings, events and conferences. Admittedly, it had been a little while since my wife Lisa and I last visited, in which time the hotel has witnessed a host of exciting new developments, so I thought I’d compile an updated review for the readers of Northern Insight. The hotel boasts 254 guest rooms in total and they’re all very tastefully appointed.

We were lucky enough to secure a supremely stylish executive room on the hotel’s 5th floor, which came complete with a dedicated office space perfect for the journeying professional. Other amenities included a 49″ flat-panel LCD TV on which I watched Part II of an enthralling Super Sunday, wi-fi access, tea & coffee making facilities, telephone, fridge and a chic, chrome-laden bathroom area. Bathed in a soothing colour palette all creams, plums and chocolates – our room promoted feelings of warmth and sanctuary and was the ideal place to unwind after a frenetic working week. Some executive rooms are equipped with their own private balconies, whilst all have exclusive access to the hotel’s Executive Lounge.

This is unquestionably a major asset to the hotel and offers a great vantage point from which to take in some breath-taking, panoramic views of downtown Newcastle and the Quayside’s assorted bridges. Prior to taking dinner, we thought a quick freshen up was in order, so we headed down to the on-site LivingWell Health Club. I’d been playing football that morning (well, trying anyway) so I wasn’t in the mood for anything too strenuous, yet there is a bespoke fitness suite with all the usual cardio/resistance bells & whistles. I settled on a few lengths of the pool and a blast in both the sauna and steam room, whilst Lisa took full advantage of the facilities with a prescription facial which she assures will “clear the cobwebs away.” With a fair few calories in the credit column, we looked forward enormously to our evening meal. The “Windows on the Tyne” Bar offers a fantastic mix of international comfort food in relaxed surroundings, whilst the neighbouring restaurant – which has been recently refurbished- is befitting of one of the region’s flagship hotels. Both also have those stunning views of Newcastle now I can’t think of too many restaurants from which you can look out over the Tyne Bridge, Grey’s Monument, Castle Keep and of course, the city’s two cathedrals; St Nicholas’ and St James’ Park.

We decided on the restaurant which has an eclectic and exciting new a la carte menu. It draws upon a global array of tastes, textures and cuisines and offers plenty of choice. Sharing boards are new to the menu here so we decided to kick off with a plank full of garlic king prawns, coronation chicken, parma ham, salami and buffalo mozzarella. This was a lovely way to begin and was followed up with a 7oz fillet steak with green peppercorn sauce and hand cut chips (guess who?) and the pesto-crusted salmon steak, served up with tender stem broccoli and crushed new potatoes. Rather full, we swerved dessert but lingered into the night over an excellent bottle of Chateauneuf-du-Pape, which put the finishing touches on a memorable evening. The following morning, we returned to ‘Windows..’ for a slap-up breakfast which features a host of continental classics, in addition to all of our cooked favourites. Lisa and I both have a longstanding affinity for the hotel and we both agreed that it remains a bastion of quality for our home city and the wider region. It was great to be back.