Hotel Du Vin | Newcastle | Review

This post was originally published on North East Family Fun in 2019.

We're the kind of people who are happy to splash out on a super luxury hotel for a special occasion yet equally as likely to bunk up in a Travelodge. When looking for places to stay, it's all about value for money for us.

Nine years ago, we stayed in the executive suite at Hotel Du Vin in Newcastle. It's probably one of the best hotel rooms we've ever stayed in and we vowed to return one day.

I can't believe it took us 9 years but in celebration of my 35th birthday, we decided to splash out and booked the Signature Suite.

At £319 on a room-only basis, it certainly wasn't cheap (and I'd like to add, this was something we saved up for as a birthday treat) and the inflated price is definitely due to us booking a Saturday night stay in December (I've found this room on offer during off-peak dates for as little as £145 per room including a 2 course meal for 2 in the brasserie).

It's so annoying having a December birthday at times!

Anyway, the suite is absolutely gorgeous and for us, it is worth every penny. The double roll-top baths are super luxurious as are the his and her power showers and sinks.

There is so much space in this suite and it's the perfect space to chill out and relax. Whilst not fitted with lots of mod-cons, there's a very decent Bose surround sound system around the room, beautiful mood lighting and a Nespresso machine too and you'll find bathrobes, fluffy white towels and L'Occitane toiletries.

As two stressed-out parents, we're the kind of people who physically need to spend time together without the kids and spoil ourselves from time to time.

I think every couple has to find something that works for them and booking little breaks like this is something we always look forward to and allows us to have some proper grown-up time together. Drinking Champagne whilst listening to dance anthems and dancing around a hotel suite might not be everyone's cup of tea but it works for us/reminds us of our youth and the good old days.

The Hotel Du Vin really delivers and provides everything you need from a luxury place to escape your day to day lives for a few hours.

With a check-in time of 3pm and check-out time of 11am, it's the kind of place you don't want to make too many plans as you really want to make the most of it.

There's a giant 9 ft bed and a two plasma TVs which are back to back and play simultaneously and a gorgeous sofa area. Room service is encouraged and there's even a late night munchies menu available from 10pm-6am serving things like cheese on toast and bacon sandwiches. Yum!

There are a couple of niggles which put me off this hotel and it is mainly the upsell/added extras you have to pay for. When you spend £300+ for a hotel room, you'd expect the bottled water to be included in this rate.

I've stayed at some pretty fancy hotels in my time and I've never had to pay for water before so you can imagine my shock when I received a £4 bill for a glass of water in my room. It's things like this that really put my back up and make me feel like perhaps I'm not getting the best value for money.

They really try and push breakfast too and again, at £300+ per night, I've never stayed anywhere so expensive where it's not included as standard. Hotel Du Vin's offering is an additional £17 per person which to me, seems excessive when there are plenty of fabulous places in Ouseburn offering hearty brunches at a fraction of the price.

There's a big and tempting mini-bar in the room too. All charged at premium prices of course. We always prefer to plan ahead and take our own alcohol and snacks.

We were staying for my birthday and normally when you stay in a fancy hotel, there will be a birthday card and chocolates/glass of fizz to welcome you/something extra but there's a real lack of personal touches at Hotel du Vin and they really lacked the personal touch I thought.

The final upsell is parking. There is very limited on-site parking here and it's charged at £10 per night which feels excessive when parking is charged at 40p per hour in the adjacent street/Ouseburn car parks.

I've stayed in pretty much all of the Newcastle City Centre Hotels and despite it's slightly out of the way location and excessive charges, I still truly believe this hotel has the best suites in Newcastle and for us, it's still worth splashing out on as an occasional treat.

However I really don't believe that it offers the best value for money and I think if you're looking for a luxury suite where you can spoil yourself, staying outside of the city centre and booking somewhere like Matfen Hall or Rockliffe Hall will provide you with much better value for money.