The Raithwaite Estate

Gorgeous location, great food and very relaxing stay. Would highly recommend this hotel enjoyed the little touches.

A disappointing stay in an overpriced and overhyped hotel . They need to address cleanliness and lighting issues . Also have a turndown service . A dress code would not go amiss in the restaurant as scruffy shorts dirty trainers and tats appears plenty seem to be acceptable

We loved the hotel, the staff, the location, the food, absolutely everything. We arrived on Sunday lunchtime and sat outside eating BBQ whilst listening to a fabulous duo. We used the spa for a couple of hours and then ate in the Beach House. Overall we loved everything, especially the staff who obviously love their work. This is not a pretentious hotel, it's staff are approachable and friendly, the rooms are comfortable and the location right next to Sandsend Beach is great.

We booked for a last minute one night getaway for two, on a deal that gave us: - overnight stay in a 'divine' room - £40 each towards a two course lunch (food, not drink) in the main hotel restaurant (which we could use either on day of arrival or departure) - spa access (tip: book a sunlounger in advance!) - pizza for two in the beach house in the evening - full breakfast It cost just over £400 on booking - putting it firmly in 'big treat' territory for a one night stay, but we'd planned to max out the two days with the hotel and the nearby beach. We read the reviews with a bit of trepidation but we really wanted to give it a go and we're so glad we did. First things first: The main plus point here is the helpfulness and overall environment created by the staff, who couldn't have been more welcome and accommodating. There was no shortage of people - we couldn't get over how many there were actually! - and although there were a couple of occasions where we had to ask a couple of times for something, overall they created such a lovely relaxed atmosphere it didn't bother us in the slightest. From booking to checkout, everyone we encountered was just great. What I would say is it's not 'stuffy service' - maybe for the price bracket / market space this hotel is going for, that might be what some would expect or prefer - but that's not really us, so we loved the approach here. The lunch was lovely - it was a BBQ and there was plenty to choose from, with the added bonus of some great live music on the terrace while we ate. We struggled to spend our £40 allowance (we got BBQ lamb skewers, prawns, salmon and as sides some sweet potato fries, roast beetroot (loads of it!) and pickled slaw, as well as some sourdough bread and oil). Drinks weren't the cheapest (that was the only 'extra' we paid for on departure) but we did try some really nice wines and it is a hotel, so it didn't feel completely outrageous. Our room was lovely. Spotlessly clean, very big both in the main room and the bathroom, nice views over the kitchen garden at the back, great facilities with nothing lacking that I would have expected. It was quite hot - and this wasn't one of the hotter days we've had in the UK lately, but a fan was provided. Great shower and nice products. Huge bed, super comfy, no noise issues. The spa was fine for us: spotless, with relatively limited but excellent facilities. Again, great friendly staff. We didn't have treatments and these were quite pricey, but again I'd say not outrageous for a hotel. I think this is the one area the hotel needs to be careful not to oversell: it's a lovely spa, but as an 'also there' rather than a standalone destination - if I'd gone purely for the spa experience I think I'd have been disappointed compared with other spa destination hotels in a similar price bracket. Pizza in the evening was great - served in the beach house restaurant which is a little way back down the entrance road. The pizzas were really well cooked and again just great staff and lovely environment. Breakfast the following morning included a really lovely range of 'help yourself' options (some amazing little pastries and a great fruit salad) as well as an excellent cooked menu - we had poached eggs on sourdough with avocado and goats cheese and honestly it was the best version of that meal I've ever had. The hotel is a three minute drive from the beach front and the village of Sandsend which is great for a potter around and a walk along the beach - you can walk all the way along the front to Whitby. Summary: lovely location, great food, amazing staff. Booking again!

Booked a July stay 6 months ago, with email confirmation of a reservation for dinner in the soon to be opened Calluna restaurant, overseen by local hero Tommy Banks. Checking on Saltmoore's website yesterday, the restaurant remained advertised as 'coming soon'. I messaged the hotel, receiving and missing a 'courtesy call' 5 mins later confirming 'restaurant' booking times. An online message later that afternoon admitted that Saltmoore was unable to honour the Calluna reservation, but had managed to book us into the brasserie - the wording implying the hotel had gone the extra mile in doing so. A subsequent message suggested they could alternatively provide suggestions for fine dining nearby on a Tuesday evening at 48 hours' notice(!) Had I not spotted the non-opening, I don't believe Saltmoore would have flagged up the change before our arrival. The shine would have been taken off a very special celebratory trip to Yorkshire. Thank you to Saltmoore for a no quibble refund in full of the booking, allowing us to book elsewhere this coming week.