Driving up to the five-star Seaham Hall, guests will be welcomed by the most magnificent sculptural fountain in front of a white classical Georgian entrance, which automatically gives away the fact that this spa hotel offers luxury with a modern twist as soon as guests first lay eyes on the grand exterior.
Seaham Hall is a stately Georgian country mansion with a history: the famous poet Lord Byron was once married here, and the 3rd Marquess of Londonderry later owned it. Inside, the elegant rooms and large suites serve as a backdrop for a bold, modern aesthetic with plenty of dark-wood flooring, large velvet sofas, mirrored walls, dramatic lampshades, storm lanterns and eccentric sculptures.
Seaham Hall is now a five-star luxury hotel with a spa that is ranked amongst the 100 best in the world and just a ten minutes walk from the County Durham cliffs. Most guests never feel the need to leave the hotel because of its vast Asian-themed spa, which is entered through an underground boardwalk over trickling water, with the spa facilities being one of the most very best and most beautiful in the UK.
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Location & Design
The hotel lobby is warm and stately in the manner of a classic country house. With its high painted glass ceiling, wrought iron staircase, and antiquities such as giant vases, old-fashioned travel trunks, cases, and great oak chairs, you’d be excused for thinking you were in the majestic house of a well-traveled historian.
The award-winning spa is housed in a newer wing that is connected to the main structure by stunning pillared hall and the overall design of the hotel is well thought out and easy accessible .
Nearby there are several lovely, breezy beach walks including the County Durham Cliffs and Durham’s main attractions are only a 30-minute drive away. The hotels closeness to the A1 and A19 also makes it an excellent location to stop between London and Scotland.
Guestrooms & Suites
At Seaham Hall, the guestrooms and suites are spacious, with a modern country house design of vibrant feature wallpapers, enormous headboards, and bold colours. Rooms in the main hall provide sea views, while those in the newer wing have garden views and some suites provide a private hot tub and fire pit.
From the Temple Spa bathroom products and complimentary soft drinks and snacks to the deep-pile carpets, super-king mattresses, and large colourful sofas, all 21 suites are luxurious and unique in every way. The design of all suites can perhaps best be described as a ‘modern country house,’ with vibrant and bold feature wallpapers, deep-coloured velvet sofas, quirky lighting, and luxuriously spacious bathrooms.
We stayed in one of the stunning garden suites, which featured a one-of-a-kind roll-top bath with a rain shower and 360-degree spray jets sitting centrally of the marbled bathroom. Guests will also find a charming rubber duck (which you can take home as a souvenir) and fragrant bath items manufactured particularly for Seaham Hall ready for guests to enjoy. Other amenities that suite guests can enjoy are the essential snacks in the fridge, fresh fruit on the table, and a little bottle of sleep and relaxtion mist to send you into a deep sleep at the end of the evening.
With a pillow menu, valet service to park your car, a bedside tablet to order room service or arrange a spa treatment, and even someone to draw your bath (for a charge), you might become dangerously pampered during a stay at Seaham Hall.
The Spa & Facilities
No visit to Seaham Hall is complete without some pampering at its excellent Serenity Spa, inspired by Feng Shui principles. The award-winning, vast spa – which is almost as big as the hotel itself features 17 treatment rooms – and is perfectly connected to the main structure through a calmly lit, underground river corridor above a water-stream. The Asian-inspired retreat is heavenly, with a spacious garden area that is as invigorating in the winter – with gusts of chilly air between dips in the heated jacuzzis – as it is luxurious in the summer. The indoor swimming pool provides everything guests need to fully relax, including a hydrotherapy pool, an ice fountain, and water beds. Book a couple’s Ishga massage for the ultimate top-to-toe pampering with your other half and breathe in the most divine-smelling Temple Spa oils and lotions. The spa can become crowded with day visitors during the weekends so it is recommended to visit during the week.
The spa has been equipped with high-tech reclining, adjustable beds that bend and mould your body into comfortable positions as the therapists knead and rub your back and shoulders with warm oil and hot stones. Our Ishga massage was incredibly relaxing and one of the best we have ever experienced.
After treatments guests can enter the zen room to relax on the heated recliners, sip a cool glass of lemon water, and enjoy some delicious snacks while admiring the spectacular tree-top views from the balcony nestled among the changing leaves from green to fall crimson. The treatment offer at Seaham Hall’s Serenity Spa is extensive, including classic, soothing Temple Spa treatments as well as uplifting and organic Ishga therapies created from Scottish seaweed and natural spring water.
Elsewhere, there’s plenty to keep hotel guests and day spa visitors entertained outside of the treatment rooms. The Serenity Spa has an indoor 20m tropical pool and hydro pool, as well as an outdoor infinity jacuzzi pool and two large open-air wooden hot tubs situated in the tranquil spa grounds. Guests can also use the sauna, steam room, herbal sanarium, snail showers, and plunge pools in the atrium.
Food & Drink
When it comes to dining, the five-star hotel boasts 4 dining areas – each as wonderful as the next. The Dining Room is where you can sample the best of modern British fare in a fabulous setting and enjoy a five-course tasting menu which frequently changes. Glittering 14 carat gold plated chandeliers, deep chairs and cosy booths, and gorgeous Georgian windows make up The Dining Room – all watched over by the hotel’s former resident Lord Byron, whose portrait hangs proudly on the wall.
Showcasing the very best of Durham dining, the restaurant’s five-course tasting menu evolves with the seasons. Using only the finest and freshest regional produce, the daily menu is carefully curated by Executive Chef Damian Broom. Each and every ingredient is grown and ethically sourced from hand-picked suppliers, from honey farms to sustainable seafood.
Ozone is the hotel’s Pan-Asian restaurant with a very theatrical atmosphere. The cuisine is warm, colourful, and, most importantly, authentic. And because the restaurant is housed in the Serenity Spa, it’s ideal for relaxed lunches in bathrobes, afternoon teas, or delectable meals after a spa treatment. Think hearty curries, colourful stir fries, and tantalising small dishes blended with bold Pan-Asian flavours. There are also excellent afternoon teas on offer as well, ideal for a ladies spa day.
Elsewhere there is also the Terrace, with fireplace seating and private dining pods, the outdoor terrace elevates al fresco dining to new heights. Visit for an evening of fizz and fondue around the fire pits, or celebrate a special occasion in your own blissful bubble.
KeiKei is a London-based award-winning journalist and videographer with a degree in Broadcast Media and Journalism from the University of the West of Scotland and an extensive reporting background in news, entertainment, travel, and lifestyle.
KeiKei has travelled the globe interviewing, reporting and reviewing. Her work has been published in worldwide media outlets including, The New York Post, The Guardian, The Mirror, The Daily Mail, National Geographic and Conde Nast publications.
