Boho Loves: Oulton Hall Hotel, Leeds – A Review of Our Stay

A few weeks ago I was lucky enough to take a very rare weekend away, all in the name of wedding research. The lovely people at Oulton Hall Hotel in Leeds invited me to come and visit their hotel and to find out more about the weddings that they host there. I was delighted to accept their inviation and took my long suffering husband Nik with me. Today I’d like to share with you our experience and tell you all about our findings.

Nik is going to do the honours, so I’ll pass the blog over to him

One of the (many perks) to being married to Kelly is that we get the occasional invite to a venue or restaurant or the occasional chocolate cake or biscuit sent to Boho Towers for a review. Chocolate Cakes and Biscuits are very easy to taste and review and are gratefully received. When the opportunity arises for slightly more salubrious activities, i.e. trips away, we have a certain little man to think about. Dexter rules Boho Towers despite being a mere 2 ft tall and we wouldn’t have it any other way! In the last year, we have sent people on assignments as far away as St Lucia which you will have seen on the Blog last year. This time, it was Oulton Hall Hotel in Leeds – just 35 miles away from Boho Towers – sign me up was the deafening cry! And then a quick call in to Nana to see what dates we could take the Little Man for a sleepover and boom! Just 3 short months later, we were ready to embark on our night away in luxury.

As a world weary travelling salesman, I spend my life in hotels on the road, be it here in the UK or further afield in Europe, I have a budget of £85 for the room + £25 for an evening meal (€100 + €50 if I am on the continent) so to say that Oulton Hall Hotel was a world away from these could been seen as an injustice!

From the moment we drove up the inviting driveway, seeing the grand entrance to this wonderfully old and characterful hotel, I could imagine asking my nearest and dearest to celebrate my nuptials in fantastic surroundings. Yes, before you ask, renewing my vows with Mrs Boho!!

The grand entrance hall was only the start of the fantastic array of facilities on offer at Oulton Hall Hotel. Our bags were taken to our room whilst we enjoyed a glass of Prosecco in the Champagne Bar (I know – why not Champagne in here, but honestly? We prefer Prosecco!). You can immediately envisage taking drinks in here before the ceremony or on arrival at the venue. Perfect! In fact, once we had enjoyed our meal, we retired to the Champagne Bar for a nightcap and I went off piste and asked the barman if he could do me an Amaretto Sour. Turns out he is the World Champion Amaretto Sour Mixologist (at least his Cocktail tasted like he was)!

So what is on offer at Oulton Hall Hotel as a Wedding Venue? Well set in the picturesque surroundings of …… on a Golf Course, you have something for all tastes to enjoy. Add in a luxurious Spa and even those most stressful of times before a marriage ceremony can be wiped away in absolute bliss.

There are 3 main options on Ceremony Room and all are licensed for Civil Ceremonies. Firstly we have the Repton Suite. Filled with elaborate fixtures and fittings, evoking the period of the building effortlessly, The Repton Suite also has its own private terrace. The room was flooded with light, even on an overcast January afternoon. The capacity for this room is 90 for Ceremonies and 70 for Wedding Breakfasts. Guests are then whisked away to the Upper Claret Jug for the reception. More on that to follow.

The Upper Claret Jug, a great play on The Open given that it has a wonderful vista of the 18^th Hole and Fairway. This function room allows for up to 90 guests for Ceremony and Wedding Breakfasts and a perfect choice if you would like to remain in one place for the whole day. This room has its own dance floor and private bar area with plenty of seating should you need to rest those dancing feet! A great space for DJ and / or bands is provided with a dance floor. After the Ceremony and Wedding Breakfast, you can extend this to 150 guests. Perfect!

For the larger wedding, why not look to The Oulton Suite. This is the perfect space for your large celebration, capable of holding up to 250 guests throughout the day. With its very own dedicated bar and private outdoor terrace, it has all you need to make your special day even more exciting. As this room is also licensed for Civil Ceremonies, all you need to do is retire to the private bar and relax whilst Oulton Hall Hotel change the room to suit all your needs throughout the day.

After the reception, why not take advantage of the fact that you are at a luxurious hotel and book one of the 152 bedrooms at Oulton Hall Hotel. A recent refurbishment has modernised the rooms to provide stylish relaxation after a big day. The Bride and Groom will enjoy the Bridal Suite with views over the Yorkshire countryside whilst the guests can treat themselves to some of the stunning feature rooms available.

Why not prepare for your big day in style by either taking a dip in the pool followed by some treatments in the Spa or a round of Golf taking in that wonderful Yorkshire countryside. The Oulton Hall Hotel spa comes with Heated Pool, Jacuzzi, Sauna and Steam Room, along with a menu of treatments to choose from, whilst the Golf course winds around 27 holes of beautiful scenery.

When it comes to Food and Drink, as you would expect, Oulton Hall Hotel has covered the bases and then some. For dinner I had the Barnsley Chop – well it is Yorkshire after all – and this was delicious! This gives testament to the level of culinary skills on offer at Oulton Hall Hotel, with packages to suit all tastes.

So for that extra special day set in the glorious surrounds of the wonderful Yorkshire countryside with the staff, service, grand setting of Oulton Hall Hotel, why not contact them for a look around. And who knows, you could possibly set a date for your wedding over Prosecco in the Cocktail Bar!

Enjoy, Nik

For more information on Oulton Hall Hotel go to

www.qhotels.co.uk/oulton-hall / FACEBOOK / @QHotels