Homestays in County Durham, United Kingdom

Good location, clean and pleasance stay. Good sized, room free parking and easy access for guests arrival throughout the day. A good full English breakfast was enjoyed by every member of our party. Staff were friendly and very helpful throughout our stay. All in all a very pleasant stay at a welcome and reasonable price.

We arrived in Durham late afternoon after driving for hours from the Lakes district via Hadrian's wall in Hexham. We were greeted by the host William. After check-in we asked William for directions to Durham Cathedral. Unfortunately we got lost and couldn't get there. We got back to the B&B very tired and disappointed as we only had the date of arrival to visit the Cathedral. We were tired and told William that we will just rest up for our trip up north the next day. William wouldn't hear of it and offered to drive us to the Cathedral and even wait for us while we toured the Cathedral. We were embarrassed and did not want to trouble him but he insisted and took us in his car, acting as a tour guide he drove past many attractions and got us to the Cathedral. Once I knew the way, I asked if we could return to the B&B so I could drive us in our own car to the Cathedral and spend the evening around there. He recommended a few restaurants as we drove past them and took us back. We managed to drive back and attend evening song and then spent a lovely evening walking around. If it weren't for William, we would have just spent the evening in our room feeling sorry for our selves. Our room was at the top floor. As I was parking the car, my wife took a small suitcase in. An elderly woman insisted on carrying the bag upstairs and no matter how many times my wife tried, she insisted on taking it up. Breakfast was great. Although only street parking is available, William assured us that the area was safe and he was right. This is a family run B&B and William and his family could not be more hospitable, friendly and helpful. I would highly recommend Moor End Guest House.

Comfortable room with king size bed and en-suite with shower. Excellent response to COVID - spotlessly clean with contactless check in and out available. Lovely breakfast well cooked - best breakfast eating out we have had in ages. Excellent coffee. Staff very friendly and helpful - even coped well with a power cut while cooking breakfast. Would heartily recommend - hope to visit again some day.

If you're picky, this probably isn't the place for you but if you're more the straightforward, no-nonsense type, it ticks all the boxes that matter. My room was clean and tidy, the bed comfortable and the breakfast kept me sated until late afternoon. If you have dietary requirements, though, you'll have to speak up. I was simply asked what time I'd like breakfast. There was no mention of options, vegan needs etc. I simply finished my toast and cereal and a glorious full English was put in front of me. My only dietary requirement is 'generous portions', so this approach worked perfectly for me but it won't suit everyone. The gentleman serving breakfast was a man of few words. Not rude or stand-offish, just reserved. If you loathe morning people and small talk in equal measure like I do, you'll love him. And as for the night before, don't worry about being away from the city centre. There's a Sainsburys and Vietnamese restaurant within easy walking distance, so you won't starve. The final plus point for me was the price of £43. £40-£50 cheaper than more central alternatives in a city that seems to think it's Kensington. I would definitely stay at The Shoes again.

Stayed here for one night recently while working in the area. Arrived into the car park to a group of loud drunk chavs out the back smoking and a neighboring house having a full on argument! Great start. The chav theme continued inside along with loud music, so loud I could hardly hear the girl checking me in who just gave me my key and said 'the rooms are that way'. The room itself was quite nice, some staining on the walls and the shower wasn't very powerful but it was passable. What really got me was the overly loud music and screaming coming from the bar, this was a Monday night and the music really didn't need to be so loud. I had an early start that day and an early start the following day so just wanted to relax. When the music finally went off at 11, the sound of a woman downstairs screaming like a banshee could still be heard at half 11. Needless to say I didn't get a great night's sleep! No one downstairs when I left so I just let myself out.

The room was spotless and nicely furnished with THE comfiest bed! The bathroom was large and there were copious fluffy white towels (but no bathrobes as described). The views were tremendous and it was really close to Durham. The lounge area was lovely and accessible all the time. But…the breakfast was self-service continental style and we (and the other couple staying) loaded and put on the dishwasher which we’ve never done in a B&B before! The bedroom is within a conservatory and it was sooo hot. On our final night we asked for a fan as we couldn’t get a breeze from the window as the conservatory door was closed at night. The fan made for a better night’s sleep and I would suggest that the rooms have one in there permanently. On the confirmation email it did say that guest rooms were not guaranteed noise free. Maybe a touch of an understatement! We could hear the man next door having a good old yawn and if we weren’t talking ourselves, we could hear their conversations. Eeeek. It was a lovely location but I did think it was expensive. We used our Christmas present BuyAGift ‘2 night luxury stay’ vouchers and as we stayed a 3rd night, we paid the difference which was £230! Ouch.

If you're picky, this probably isn't the place for you but if you're more the straightforward, no-nonsense type, it ticks all the boxes that matter. My room was clean and tidy, the bed comfortable and the breakfast kept me sated until late afternoon. If you have dietary requirements, though, you'll have to speak up. I was simply asked what time I'd like breakfast. There was no mention of options, vegan needs etc. I simply finished my toast and cereal and a glorious full English was put in front of me. My only dietary requirement is 'generous portions', so this approach worked perfectly for me but it won't suit everyone. The gentleman serving breakfast was a man of few words. Not rude or stand-offish, just reserved. If you loathe morning people and small talk in equal measure like I do, you'll love him. And as for the night before, don't worry about being away from the city centre. There's a Sainsburys and Vietnamese restaurant within easy walking distance, so you won't starve. The final plus point for me was the price of £43. £40-£50 cheaper than more central alternatives in a city that seems to think it's Kensington. I would definitely stay at The Shoes again.

We arrived in Durham late afternoon after driving for hours from the Lakes district via Hadrian's wall in Hexham. We were greeted by the host William. After check-in we asked William for directions to Durham Cathedral. Unfortunately we got lost and couldn't get there. We got back to the B&B very tired and disappointed as we only had the date of arrival to visit the Cathedral. We were tired and told William that we will just rest up for our trip up north the next day. William wouldn't hear of it and offered to drive us to the Cathedral and even wait for us while we toured the Cathedral. We were embarrassed and did not want to trouble him but he insisted and took us in his car, acting as a tour guide he drove past many attractions and got us to the Cathedral. Once I knew the way, I asked if we could return to the B&B so I could drive us in our own car to the Cathedral and spend the evening around there. He recommended a few restaurants as we drove past them and took us back. We managed to drive back and attend evening song and then spent a lovely evening walking around. If it weren't for William, we would have just spent the evening in our room feeling sorry for our selves. Our room was at the top floor. As I was parking the car, my wife took a small suitcase in. An elderly woman insisted on carrying the bag upstairs and no matter how many times my wife tried, she insisted on taking it up. Breakfast was great. Although only street parking is available, William assured us that the area was safe and he was right. This is a family run B&B and William and his family could not be more hospitable, friendly and helpful. I would highly recommend Moor End Guest House.

I rate this place very highly. A very warm welcome as soon as we entered. The room was very comfortably decorated. The bathroom was lovely and the quality of the towels and bed linen was good. The bed and pillows were very comfortable - even for my husband! The breakfast was excellent and the service was friendly. There was nothing more you could want. They even had delicious homemade jam! A really great experience all round.it is possible to walk into Durham centre from here too