There are many hotels in York with awards and accolades, and plenty offering top-rate food and high quality accommodation.  But what really sets a great hotel apart from the rest is the attitude of the staff.

Not only would it be hard to find a better located hotel than the Dean Court Hotel - it's literally on the doorstep of the magnificent gothic York Minster - you'd be hard pushed to find a friendlier, more efficient staff.  That goes a long way in my book.

Arriving a little bedraggled thanks to the first rain there'd been in weeks, we find the staff calmly dealing with an over-sensitive alarm which had gone off in the kitchen.   Despite this, we're greeted with a beaming smile and are instantly told what's going on.

Potential crisis averted - it's a false alarm, we're checked in and shown to our room.  On the way, the helpful young man explains the hotel's layout.

Made up of three former houses and clerical residences, it transpires there are still three staircases (and two lifts) leading to the 39 bedrooms, and if one goes up the wrong one, there may not be a through route to one's room.  Fortunately, ours is easy to find being up the closest staircase to the bar and DCH restaurant.

With a view like we'd got, it was inevitable we rush straight to the window to admire the minster offset by the Yorkstone paving slabs surrounding it, which always seem to be at their colourful, vibrant best after a shower of rain.

Turning our attention back to the room, we find a comfortable bed clad in crisp white linens, bathrobes and slippers, heavy drapes - useful, as the minster is lit up at night, a well-stocked beverage tray and two contemporary armchairs by the window.  The table between them has a bowl of apples and two bottles of mineral water on it.

A third chair sits in front of the spacious work desk, but unfortunately it's much too low for its intended purpose, so I turn it around and put my feet up on the bed while I watch the TV.

Downstairs, we find the bar area closed until 6pm, so as instructed by the sign on the shutter, we head to The Court, the hotel's café-bar and bistro to order a coffee.

Back in the main bar, we linger a while to admire the clever montage of images around the door.  Made specially for the hotel, these are greatly enlarged shots of various gargoyles and carvings which adorn the minster.  Later, we find some more through in the DCH restaurant.

We've booked a table for eight o'clock, but being ravenous, are most pleased when Alex, the Restaurant Manager, cheerfully agrees to bring our reservation forward to seven thirty.  He brings us menus to peruse, and after a quick look, we dash upstairs to change for dinner.

With my husband still oohing and aahing about the powerful shower, we head back downstairs looking decidedly more presentable, and take a seat in the bar once more. 

Alex returns with the menus and a very extensive wine list.  After looking through the list, Himself decides he'll have a beer instead - a fruity little Czech number, so I settle on a glass of Viognier - one of many wines offered by the glass - as  I can't manage a bottle all by myself.

It's a sign of good things to come when we find ourselves torn over what to choose.  The menu isn't overly lengthy, it's just that everything Head Chef Andrew Bingham has included on it sounds so delicious.

Eventually, I choose the smoked venison with baby beets and watercress salad to start, followed by the fillet of spring lamb with spring veg and Anna potatoes.  Husband opts for the fresh local asparagus with hot butter and hollandaise sauce, with a sirloin steak and fat chips for his main.

After a wait of no more than ten minutes, we're shown through into the modern but elegant two AA rosetted DCH restaurant.

Our table is right by the window, from where we once more have a magnificent view of York Minster and we watch it slowly illuminated as darkness falls.

Homemade bread, in three different varieties, is offered, along with mineral water.  Accepting both, we take a big shine to the cheese and Marmite bread, and manage to snaffle several slices.  Observing our obvious enjoyment, a member of staff tells us even devout Marmite haters are fans of this delicious bread.

The bread is followed by little cups of tangy garlic and watercress soup, a good appetizer before our starters proper arrive. 

Dinner is absolutely delicious.  Despite some odd-seeming combinations I'd never dare try at home - such as the tangy redcurrant sauce accompanying my venison - the whole meal is an inventive, and more importantly mouthwatering, fusion of flavours.

When our mains are brought, Himself takes one bite of his steak, before looking at me and grinning.  "You've got to try this steak," he says, handing me a slice.  It's melt-in-the-mouth tender and has certainly never seen the inside of a freezer.  No need for a steak knife either; the rather nice ergonomic designer knife glides straight through.  My lamb is equally gorgeous, but comes served with spinach.  I'm sorry, but even a 2 rosette chef can't make spinach taste like anything other than spinach, which I push to one side.

Not normally pudding people, Husband is intrigued by one of Sous Chef, Steve Allen's creations - a Bramley apple tart with Wensleydale cheese and juniper ice-cream.

At first we assumed this was a slice of cheese which, after all, goes extremely well with apple, and a scoop of juniper flavoured ice-cream.

Wrong!  The cheese is actually in the ice-cream, and strange though it might sound, the combination really works.

I opt for a chocolate marquise with strawberries and an Ovaltine milkshake.   Not sickly sweet like so many chocolatey puddings, this is light and without too much sugar, the slightly bitter taste of the chocolate is offset nicely by the malty Ovaltine and flavoursome strawberries.

Breakfast the next morning is just as much of a feast, with fresh fruit juice, cereals, and a continental buffet laid out on a long table.  Porridge is also available to order.

We both opt for something from the cooked menu; He chooses eggs Benedict with hollandaise sauce, while I, ever the glutton, go for the full English.  The waiter tries to place the latter before my husband, who points gleefully at me: "That's hers," he says.

Toast is brought out, along with a pot of coffee for him and tea for me.  Much to my disappointment, there's no toasted cheese and Marmite bread on offer.  I could have asked I suppose, but I'm sure it'd go down a treat if it was available.

On checking out, we meet Doug, the helpful chap who'd taken us to our room the day before.  "Did you enjoy your stay?" he asks, "Oh yes," we reply, "very much indeed."

Practicalities:

The Dean Court Hotel
Duncombe Place
York, North Yorkshire
YO1 7EF

Telephone:  01904 625 082

The hotel is part of Best Western, the world's largest chain of independently owned hotels.  For up-to-date prices, menus and the latest special offers and events, visit the hotel website.

Book your stay at Dean Court Hotel 

Getting there:

York is well served by train services from all over the UK, and has frequent rail connections from London.

Dean Court is walkable from York railway station, provided you haven't got too much luggage or small children in tow.  Turn left out of the station and cross the three small pelican crossings (don't cross over the main road), walk alongside the gardens and follow the road to the right as it passes under the walls.  Bear left again, crossing the old toll (Lendal) bridge, continuing along Museum Street, which becomes Duncombe Place.  The hotel is at the top of Duncombe Place, just opposite York Minster.

Alternatively, taxis are available from the train station and shouldn't cost more than a few pounds.

Published 11/05/2007