Best Hotels near East Durham Heritage & Lifeboat Centre, Seaham

My wife and I have stayed at this hotel about half a dozen times in the last 12-15 years in former Marriott days and now under the Elite Selection label. We have always loved its location and found it a good base forlocal and regional visits. We feared standards would fall under the present owners, but, although some economy measures are evident, the accommodation and decor have improved markedly over the last 12 months, and the staff are unbelievably friendly and helpful. We found receptionist Ronnie exceptionally friendly and facilitative, and nothing was too much trouble for housekeeping staff Ellie and Wilailak. The latter endeared herself to our grandchildren by responding to their teasing and joining in their little games. Everywhere was very clean and the food was plentiful. The pool and jacuzzi were a welcome afternoon base after spending the morning at the South Shields marine park and then the extensive funfair across the road. The following morning we went successfully searching for sea glass on Seaham's beaches.

The drive up to the castle was was fantastic as the view of the castle looked stunning. The entrance to the court yard for parking was quaint and inviting. The look of the court yard looking at all the out buildings looked inviting and very well presented. The “stocks” make for great entertainment The entrance to the reception is like looking for the secret door but the plaque at the side with history information explains why and is interesting to read. Inside the reception is is quite dark but this for me added to the ambience of the place. The staff where welcoming, polite and explained the hotel set up. We stayed in one of the room in the courtyard which was beautiful. Very nicely decorated and good value for money. The room was cozy. We’d booked to have a meal in the Knights Restaurant and we had pre drinks in the bar first The walk to the restaurant through the corridor into the central courtyard was very different yet beautiful. It’s so old and it was nice to see it was decorated and kept within “keeping” The bar again was inviting and cosy and it was great to see that the drinks and wine list was very reasonably priced. So often places know you are a target audience and inflate the prices ridiculously however in our opinion the castle had not done this. There was a good choice of cocktails and the “smoked” cocktails added that something a little bit different and we didn’t mind paying a few pounds more for the “quirkiness”. Again the staff where very professional, friendly and well presented. The walk from the bar/lounge area to the Knights Restaurant was stunning through the corridors of the castle and past a lovely looking staircase and when we walked into the restaurant I was overwhelmed as it was stunning and not what I was expecting. The arched ceiling, the lighting, the privacy of how the tables where set out we felt was very nice. We thought it all created a romantic setting. It was very secluded but included. The menu choice was good and the food was beautiful. The service was great too and again the staff were very professional, polite and very well presented. The prices on the menu varied so I would say they’d catered fo most people’s budget and it was your own choice on how much you spend Our nights sleep was comfortable and the walk back from the restaurant to the courtyard was well lit but again in keeping with been in a castle environment. Great use of mood lighting. My husband even went into the stocks on the was home (🤣) Breakfast the next morning again did not disappoint. The selection was fantastic and plenty of food to choice from Overall we can can not fault our experience. It was a lively venue with great facilities and very well presented. The staff where Courteous, polite, friendly and very well presented. I would recommend this as a place to go and stay. We must go back so we can stay in one of the castle rooms as I am sure they would be as good and maybe even more “quirkier” than the courtyard rooms which were very nice.

Stayed overnight, room top floor really not suitable if you have a mobility problem, table booked for 7pm went to bar area to have a drink beforehand, no seats so we asked where to go a member of staff showed us where to go. We sat down when another staff member said we had to move couldn’t sit there ? We explained we had been shown these seats to sit on . Anyway we ordered two Irish coffees. They took an age to come and then they were just tepid certainly not a nice hot Irish coffee , we alerted a waiter who said sorry I’ll get another well that didn’t happen. Food came and was. Lovely. An altercation broke out where the manager was called ,whom in my opinion made matters worse during which she used bad language within her altercation with guests think she was Lisa. . Our twin room was small but adequate spotlessly clean and the comfiest of beds a good nights sleep was had . Would I recommend. All I will say it was ok for a night , will I return I very much doubt it I’ll stick to either Ramside or Redworth hall . At check out we did mention our complaints to reception he was very apologetic . Sorry Bowburn Hall .

We have had an absolutely amazing stay at Ramside to celebrate my 50th Birthday. We stayed in a treehouse which was utterly superb and took my breath away!! Beautiful interiors and furnishings along with wonderful outdoor area with your own hot tub and sauna...a truly wonderful experience. The service is second to none. The concierge was literally on tap to take you to and from the main hotel. Nothing was ever a problem. The main Spa pool had plenty of seating and limitless supply of towels, robes and flip flops to make you relaxed and comfortable. The Fusion Restaurant was fabulous too. 9 of us ate at the restaurant, the food was served piping hot in beautiful Asian inspired bowls and plates and looked utterly mouthwatering and tasted delicious, we couldn't fault it....The cocktails are gorgeous too I can highly recommend the strawberry breeze for any gin lovers out there! Wow!! A huge thank you, to the wonderful dedicated staff at Ramside, for making our weekend just perfect and one to remember...We will be back!!

Second visit to this great hotel in an historic building. Reception staff are consistently excellent, friendly and helpful (apologies I am not sure of the girl who helped us out during our stay, but she was super professional). Restaurant staff are also super - front of house, and all the team superb. The rooms are spacious and very clean. The bar is fab and a great space to relax. Only one minor suggestion is to give the coffee bar staff some professional barista training - it’s a plus point for the hotel to have a good coffee bar.

Very economical! It's very convenient to go anywhere, very clean room, good value for money

This hotel is very cost-effective, as reflected in: 1. It is about 5 minutes walk from Sunderland train station and bus station. It is in the city center, and it is only 2 minutes walk to the bridges shopping mall. There are also many restaurants in the surrounding area. 2. Since it is a newly built hotel in 2022, the facilities are very new and modern, and the rooms are relatively clean. As a slightly clean freak, I am quite satisfied, but there are some unknown stains on the pillow, so I put on my own pillow cover. The reason for giving the facilities 4 stars is that the sound insulation effect is too poor. People passing by the door can clearly hear their speeches, but it is relatively quiet to sleep at night. 3. There are really not many choices for breakfast, and everyone feels tired of eating the next day. The price is not cheap, so I personally don't recommend eating buffet breakfast in the hotel. 4. Hotel staff are friendly and helpful. Summary: If you go to Sunderland again in the future, you will definitely consider living here again. (The attached photo is the hotel room I stayed in + the photos taken around the hotel)

Enjoyed experience. Took advantage of a paid for upgrade and the room was excellent. Generally, the upgrades were great (free parking), however, as part of the upgrade we got drink vouchers (6 x drinks per couple over two days). This was a bit footery as the choice of drinks was very limited (either bottled beer or glass of certain wines). I prefer draught beer and my wife doesn't partucularly like wine so we struggled what to choose. Buffet breakfasts are either hit or miss and on this occasion our experience was plenty of choice but the hot Buffet was luke warm at best. That said it is a really good hotel in a great location and catered for all our needs

Stayed here for 2 nights and it was an amazing hotel , very clean , great staff and beautiful rooms . There is a thia restaurant attached to the hotel and their food was outstanding and the service was high quality . There was also a bar serving pub classics too and was very reasonably priced. I would defo stay here again and visit the restaurant as its a hidden little gem of a place.