Crab Manor Hotel

Someone had a lot of fun designing the 20 guest rooms at Crab Manor Hotel. Each pays homage to a different destination, from Lapland to Las Vegas via Tahiti and Dubai. It sounds eclectic and eccentric — and indeed it is — but this boutique hotel has also retained the elegance of the 18th-century Georgian manor at its heart. Situated a few miles outside the Yorkshire market town of Thirsk, Crab Manor Hotel was borne out of the success of the Crab & Lobster Restaurant next door. Together, hotel and restaurant have become a destination in their own right – one we’d recommend you visit if you're looking for a special place to stay in North Yorkshire.

The Crab & Lobster is an award-winning, two AA Rosette restaurant that’s been serving up menus with a focus on fresh fish and seafood for more than 30 years. Beautifully neat dishes are served to tables with candles and white table cloths in the dining room. It’s contemporary, elegant fine dining — all under a fishing net-cloaked ceiling with antiques lining the walls. This mix is a perfect taste of what’s to come in the neighbouring hotel.

From the outside, the manor house and its grounds are just as you’d expect: manicured gardens, beautiful planting and a neat facade that’s dominated by Georgian windows. But explore further and the quirkiness of this place is soon revealed. Room themes are developed as authentically as they can be with antiques, furniture and fabrics unique to each, whether it's a Parisian-style room in the main house or a Scandi-style log cabin in the grounds. The only common themes are facilities. Bathrobes, slippers, toiletries, Nespresso machine, Smart TV and WiFi are all standard. Bathrooms are decadent, some with roll-top baths, and most rooms have a private hot tub. Some even have a sauna. Those without (the eight rooms in the manor house) share access to communal ones. And everyone has access to walk the grounds and to the lounge and terrace where pre- or post-dinner drinks are served from the bar.

This is the perfect place for a special-occasion stay, to celebrate an anniversary, or simply to escape the everyday without having to travel to the other side of the world. Of course, this is North Yorkshire and you may want to use it as a base to explore. Thirsk is six miles up the road and you're on the edge of the North York Moors and not far from the Yorkshire Dales either. Harrogate is 20 miles away and York is not much further.