Holiday Inn - Darlington - North A1m, Jct.59

I was here for a work trip and would gladly stay again. The room was very well kept, even with handwritten thank-you notes, and room service was excellent. Although it’s just off a business park, there’s a great bar and restaurant on site, and more stores less than a couple of minutes’ walk away.

The rooms are spacious, clean and modern, and the staff were friendly. The bar and restaurant are nice, but service was very slow because they were understaffed, which wasn’t great to see. Being next to the motorway makes this Holiday Inn ideal if you’re travelling somewhere. We stayed for a week, though, and there wasn’t anything to do within walking distance, so the location didn’t work well for us. Still, it’s a great Holiday Inn compared with some.

The stay did what it said on the tin, and the location was good, set back from the main road so it was quiet. Breakfast wasn’t warm by 8 am, though, and the temperature needs better monitoring. Apart from that, it was a great stay and I’d use it again without a doubt.

The room gave us exactly what we needed while we waited for a tyre repair after a blowout on the A1M: it was warm, clean and roomy, with lots of hot water. The bar and restaurant were fine for our needs, too. Susan at reception was so kind and helpful when we arrived cold and desperate for somewhere to sleep. Thank you.