Hotel du Vin York

In its quest for a quirky, interesting building in a prestigious area of York, Hotel du Vin alighted upon a former orphanage sitting proudly on The Mount near the historic heart of the city. The group then proceeded to create yet another one-off, kooky creation and pulled it off. The result is a great 42 room hotel offering brilliant, inventive food and a wine list that fills 38 pages. If you don't know what you fancy, the sommelier will suggest you sample a few before choosing. That's great service. The bar is a visual delight – super smart leather stools with chrome foot bars, classic wooden floors and a gleaming, zinc bar. The bistro, done out in a pleasing anglo-french décor with plenty of wine bottles and soft lighting to set the mood, serves up classics like onion soup and Normandy chicken alongside British mussels and locally sourced beef cuts. Upstairs, rooms are characteristically stylish, some with pale wood sleigh beds and stand alone roll tops, all with classic HdV monsoon showers and posh smellies in the bathrooms.