St. Valery bed and breakfast in the bijou fishing village of Alnmouth in the wildly beautiful county of Northumberland in the UK, is no ordinary B & B. It is as luxurious as a boutique five star hotel but on a very personal scale. With fluffy towels, Egyptian cotton sheets and king size sleigh beds, rooms are beautifully decorated with delicious, aromatic, organic Neom products and stand alone baths. You will have to drag yourself out of your cosy surroundings to experience the beautiful beaches and coastline hereabouts, but it really must be done.
A special stay for your furry friends at St. Valery
St. Valery is a dog friendly B & B. If you choose to visit with your canine companion, you will stay in a ground floor dog orientated room. In it you will find a doggy bed, bowl, treats and even a special towel for sandy paws. Even dog sitting and dog walking services are provided by your helpful hosts if you need them, and Roxy the resident dog at St. Valery, will even share some of her doggie dinner if you’ve forgotten yours.
The rooms
Each of the four double rooms at St. Valery are quiet and very comfortable. You’ll find luxurious Egyptian cotton linen and fluffy towels, silk-filled duvets and pillows to sink into. Luxury Neom Organic products made with 100% natural fragrances for a true therapeutic effect on your mind and body are in every room. Neom’s carefully selected essential oils have been blended to aid sleep, relieve stress, boost energy, lift your mood or calm and relax your mind.
Every room has tea and coffee making facilities. With fresh milk delivered to your door each day and complimentary bottled water. Wi-Fi throughout the house will keep you connected.
Eating at St. Valery
When you first arrive at St. Valery, there is home baking and coffee on offer — I can highly recommend the lemon drizzle cake. There’s a well stocked honesty bar if you fancy an alcoholic drink and some unusual bar snacks. An honesty bar is where you help yourself to drinks and just pay for them as you go — your host trusts you to be honest! Mozzarella and tomato popcorn was a new discovery for me but it is surprisingly tasty! There is a charming outside area with decking to relax in, which is a bit of a suntrap and your hosts can organise picnic hampers, bike rental and restaurant reservations on request.
There is a delicious home cooked breakfast on offer at St. Valery with fresh sausages and bacon from the famous Carter’s butcher in nearby village of Bamburgh, and brewed Pilgrim’s Coffee from Holy Island. I opted for the smashed avocado (all the rage) on sourdough toast with poached egg, which was both substantial and extremely tasty. All produce is sourced locally wherever possible. There is tea and coffee with fresh milk and nibbles in each room and a small jar of sweets, which was somewhat depleted by the time I left.
Around Alnmouth
There’s only one road in and out of Alnmouth and that’s the way the locals like it. A small and friendly former fishing village, set on a pretty estuary, Alnmouth is a very picturesque stop on the coastal route with its colourful cottages and restaurants, pubs and coffee shops. There’s a golf course and lots of lovely walks around the area but the beaches here really are the jewel in the crown.
Alnmouth is about 5 miles or 8 km from the market town of Alnwick and the huge tourist attraction of Alnwick Castle, which features in the Harry Potter movies. Staying in the village of Alnmouth is like taking a step back in time with its one street leading down to the sea and its close knit village community. There’s a well known arts festival here in August each year where local artists open up their homes as temporary exhibition spaces and there was an Alnmouth beer festival about to swing into action at the local pub, the Red Lion, when I was there. The rest of the time, this is a pretty laid back place, and an ideal location to take time out of the rat race for a relaxing break.
There are a few good places to eat in Alnmouth but you will need to book ahead as they get busy. Harvey, our host, booked a local seafood restaurant, Hooked, for us and it was the huge distance of two doors down from our lovely B & B! The moules and frites were top notch and I particularly enjoyed the kipper pate all served in a bistro, which would have been the front room of a family home in days gone by. The desserts were very good too, with the white chocolate creme brulee deserving a special mention and all washed down with a tasty chenin blanc.
Attention to detail and a gorgeous location makes St. Valery special
A couple of minutes from the beach, St. Valery only opened in April but it is already proving extremely popular with visitors. This kind of authentic high end bed and breakfast is quite a rarity in these parts and if you enjoy the great outdoors and the spectacular coastline, then you couldn’t find a nicer place to stay while you enjoy it than this. Minutes from the main North/South A1 highway and a handy stop on the train route from York to Edinburgh, it is an ideal place to break your journey up the East Coast of England. Your host, Harvey, is so friendly and really wants to make your stay special. A warm welcome awaits with a real fire in the grate, Roxy the dog and the lovely village of Alnmouth. Check the website for prices, availability and offers.
History
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