The Cookie Jar

This ultra-stylish boutique hotel occupies a prime position between Alnwick Castle and the town’s Bailiffgate Museum. Stay here and you're in capable hands. The Cookie Jar’s quirky name is a nod to the experienced hotelier behind the business, Debbie Cook, who has put together a hotel that lives up to the family reputation for great places to stay (her husband was formerly Chief Exec at Hotel Malmaison/Hotel du Vin) and the property shares a sense of design-led luxury but offers something altogether more personal. You’ll feel it as soon as you step inside to be greeted by warm smiles and the hotel’s signature treat – a jar of homemade cookies.

There are just 11 guest rooms in this converted former convent, a Grade-II listed building that's been thoroughly softened from its more austere previous incarnation while retaining a lot of character. Nowhere is that more apparent than in the flagship room – The Chapel – a spacious suite complete with stained glass windows, beneath which you can bathe in a freestanding copper bath. Other guest rooms vary in size and price but each is individually designed and decorated. What ties them together is the quality of furniture and amenities– Hypnos beds, en-suites with drench showers, Penhaligon’s toiletries and locally-roasted coffee.

You may also notice there’s a common colour throughout: blue is extensively used, but it’s so cleverly done that it’s never too much. It’s calming and warming thanks to different textures and shades, with complementary wood, leather and lights. You’ll notice it everywhere from the walls in your bedroom to the upholstered chairs in the 30-seater Bistro downstairs. This, with its seasonal menu and 'aficionado' wine list (alongside a regular one), is a destination in its own right for dinners and afternoon teas. Breakfasts are served here too, and there’s also a terrace overlooking the garden if you want to simply sit with a drink, and a lovely book-lined residents’ lounge at the front of the building.

Alnwick Castle, seat of the Duke of Northumberland and the backdrop for Harry Potter’s Hogwarts, is just outside, so you don’t need to travel to sightsee. For more inspiration, just look at the names of the guest rooms: all Cook family favourites in the North East that make up a tick-list of places to visit. There’s Harehope for shooting, Goswick for golf, the Holy Island of Lindisfarne and the castles of Bamburgh and Dunstanburgh. Thoroughly recommended!