The Golden Lion

After years of visiting, we won’t be coming back. My mother uses a wheelchair, and after we bought our dinner as usual, staff accused us of not paying. I had paid and checked that the payment had gone through, but they gave us a bill that wasn’t ours. The young server insisted three times we hadn’t paid and couldn’t find the transaction when I asked him to check the machine. I suggested looking up our card details, and then he found the payment, along with the fact that he had overcharged us. Some other customers butted in to say it wasn’t his fault; I firmly told them it was nothing to do with them. The whole thing was handled terribly by the staff and manager. The manager wasn’t apologetic at all and was angry with us, though he did return the money he owed us. It was extremely stressful for me and my mum. We were nearly charged twice and overcharged as well. Check your bill and get a receipt, or better yet, go somewhere else.

The rooms are quite dated, but they’re clean and warm, and this is terrific value for money. The staff were very friendly, and the receptionist welcomed us warmly and made sure we got the room with the sea view, balcony and jacuzzi. The food was very good too. My one niggle is the table surface: what industrial cleaner do they use? Everything sticks to it and it feels horribly sticky. We’ll definitely return.

I haven’t stayed at the hotel, so I can’t speak to the accommodation, though it looks a little tired. The food was delicious, tasty and nicely presented, and there’s a great menu choice. Staff were really friendly, and the Northallerton High Street location is great. The alcohol-free selection needs attention: it’s limited, with no zero prosecco or wine, and only one shot of zero gin left.

The location is right on the High Street, directly opposite Betty's, and there’s an enormous, safe car park. Rooms were spacious, clean and warm, with quirky corridors and fantastic staff. We’ll return.