When the 1st Baron Lumley created his castle in 1389 did he in fact have a premonition that he would benefit from a county cricket ground just 15 minutes’ walk down the hill? Sadly for him he was to lose his head almost 600 years before he would have the chance to see his team play. However two Surrey supporters have just praised his honour such that we had the chance to stay in such a wonderfully atmospheric setting. Well looked after throughout by a friendly team of local staff, we enjoyed good-quality dinners, breakfasts, several helpings of "Newkie Brown," and spookish walks through dimly-lit corridors where history and maybe even the presence of previous occupants are there to be felt. All this, and a week of cricket as well; does life get any better?

Excellent breakfast menu with plenty of choices We ate dinner in the dining room twice and both times the food was superb, also has an extensive wine list The Library Bar is a comfortable area in which to relax and enjoy a coffee or pre-dinner drink The staff in all areas were friendly, professional and very helpful.

The service could have been better in the Barons' Hall, where we attended a private function. The staff seemed to be under pressure, and attracting their attention was a challenge. We waited a long time before someone produced the wine list, which finally appeared during our first course. To be fair, there was a wedding celebration on the same day, which would have put extra pressure on the staff.

The location was ideal for exploring Durham, Beamish museum and the outlying areas. Having a railway station at Chester Le Street is so useful. Around a mile and half stroll from Lumley Castle to Chester Le Street going through a recreation park to access both regular buses in the High Street or trains at the station to get around. We took a bus from Chester Le Street directly to Beamish Museum and back again. Free for retired people with bus passes. But very cheap to pay for all passengers. Lumley Castle is very quiet being positioned away from traffic and bustle. It is set in beautiful parkland. Very good place to relax with access to a library room, a quiet indoor room and many areas outside with tables and chairs. The highlight for us were the evening meals and breakfasts. Excellent fine dining meals or snacks on offer. The staff are wonderful with a happy attitude shown towards the guests staying here. They helped with all requests. Great social experiences. Plus the ancient aspect of living inside a 14th century castle with a perfect blend of antiquity, artefacts, artistic decor and character. If you like unusual settings. Lumley Castle is supreme! We loved it.

It is so lovely that we cannot fault it.

Lovely room and bathroom. I loved the light over the easy chair in the bedroom - great to sit and read. The restaurant was excellent and the menu choices were good. There was also a bar serving food 24 hours with a good selection during the day and snacks available overnight. The building was beautiful and interesting in.a lovely setting. Hairdryer and iron provided.

Although there were lots of power points in the room, there wasn't anywhere to plug in the hairdryer close to a mirror. The Wifi and 'phone signals weren't great, but that may just have been the area as they weren't great in the town either. It would have been nice to have a stool in the bathroom but that would just have been an added bonus.

Although its not a feature, you can take your drinks & sit in the outdoor garden which has several seating areas, some are seated under arbours with lights & you can smoke if you wish, very pretty & relaxing. This should be a feature as this made for a much more enjoyable experience. The bed was very comfortable, shower lovely. No complaints here!

There was nothing that I didn't like but we booked dinner in the resteraunt & the food was beautiful I must say, however a side of extra vegetables included in the price would have been a great addition. We dont ever do starters as like to enjoy our main, although mine was sufficient, my husband had half a potato & one square of sweet potato, I did think was a little small considering that veg isn't expensive. Could even ask if u would like extra veg included.

The staff were fantastic and very knowledgeable. The gentleman at the front desk was very accommodating and had great knowledge of the castle, even encouraged us to explore the state rooms as they were not in use and played along with my ghost queries! The staff at the Knights restaurant were lovely, myself and my friend were worried we didnt really fit the normal clientele, but we were treated just like everyone else! Unfortunately we didnt go on a night where the ghost tour was on but we definitely got to go on our own little tour! The room we had was twin on the 2nd floor, small but cozy with a chair desk and wardrobe it was nice and toasty on the evening, toilet made a few interesting sounds when flushed but its to be expected with old buildings

Im glad we paid the extra few quid via booking.com for the breakfast as on the day its roughly £25, the quality was lovely but the full breakfast was a very small portion if you dont also want to fill up on the continentals also, however we did see the other breakfasts like eggs benedict come out that looked great!

The castle was lovely, the facilities were excellent including the food in the bar, and it was very helpful to our bill that kids ate free with an adult meal. It was very interesting seeing all the historical items throughout the hotel. The only trouble we had was finding our room! Our room itself was very well appointed and large, the bed felt larger than a standard double and the mattress was very comfortable. The breakfast was very nice, both the hot and cold options. All the staff at every point were extremely helpful, polite and welcoming.

Our bathroom was obviously an addition and we had to go through the shower to get to the toilet and there was no door just a shower curtain.

We stayed here to get away for the night from the hustle and bustle of life .. needed some relaxation, peace and quiet .. and Lumley Castle offered all of that. The setting is excellent , the staff were lovely especially the young girl who served us our meal in the Library bar. The bedroom was cozy and quiet - just what we wanted. Bathroom was lovely.. Everything was clean and tidy. We had a fan in the room which was a welcome addition as the night was warm. The bed was lovely and comfy..The 2 pillows each were perfect ... We didn't have breakfast so can't comment on that but overall an excellent stay. It was so good, we've booked again to come back - twice !!

Not a dislike more like a little feedback , when we walked into the Library bar, the young lad told us to take a seat and someone would take our order after we got settled but we weren't given menus and we had to ask the young girl for the food menus when we asked for our drinks

We booked 2 'castle feature' rooms and they were outstanding. Finding the rooms was a bit challenging, as evidently retrofitting a castle into a hotel means there will be no wide clear hallways. Our room, #59 involved climbing to the top floor, going through a door, down a short hallway, another door, through a conference room, another door, another hallway, another door, a small antechamber with an organ, another door, and finally up a half-flight of stairs to a short hallway shared with one other room. That said, the path has signs that guide you easily enough and it was more charming that byzantine. Our room was spacious and very nicely appointed, with a tub and shower in an alcove behind a curtain and the bathroom complete with bidet 'hidden' behind a bookshelf. The bed was quite comfortable and there was no detectable noise from outside the room. We attended a murder mystery dinner as well - the actors were all very entertaining, the cocktails were well made and tasty, but the dinner was sadly only mediocre. Breakfast the next morning was very good indeed - a hot option (I had eggs benedict, which was perfectly cooked, but there were many other choices) along with a continental buffet with a large selection of fruits, cereals, and pastries. The hotel employees, without exception, were all pleasant and accommodating - the bar and wait staff and front desk workers were all excellent. I'd like to note specifically that Shaun Barrett, the guest manager, was instrumental in clearing up a billing snafu that was no fault of the hotel's.

Lumley castle exceeded my expectations in every way. It truly was a step back in time, they have managed to modernise the castle without ruining the original features! From the original floors and wonky doorways, squint single pane sash windows, maze like corridors and spiral staircases, spectacular gardens with a well protected with one of the original castle turrets! So many magical moments and an abundance of little quirky things that make for an utterly remarkable experience. Our room came with its own little secret with a "Narnia wardrobe" in which our en-suite was hidden!

Everything was perfect