The hotel was very warm, essential in spring in the north east of England. Despite so many stairs they were easy to climb, even though I have mobility problems: I even tried to use them rather than the lift to keep me mobile. Even though a wedding was in progress the hotel was very quiet. I liked having to book for the staggered meal times as it meant little waiting for orders to be taken and to arrive,. The waitresses were extremely efficient, and there were plenty of them too.

The shower head was too far away to reach me as I am short. I could have done with a detachable shower to rinse off my long hair. Our meals were muddled up one evening, despite my checking that my steak was rare and husband's well cooked. As I can't eat salt on a meal my steak was ruined after he had poured a salty peppercorn sauce over what he thought was his steak.

Approaching the location in the car and then seeing the castle was an experience. Stunning. So much history. Our accommodation was very close to where we parked our car, our room was huge as was our bed. Very clean and surprisingly cosy, the added heaters helped as it was one of the coldest weeks. Castle staff were very polite informative and friendly. Breakfast was plentiful especially the buffet located in one of the castle rooms.

One thing that could be improved is the shower in room 14, when it’s on full power the shower makes too much mess because the glass door is too narrow, the head is fixed so couldn’t be moved to either side.

Breakfast was good. Staff excellent. Always helpful. Even helping me when losing my way in the hotel at one stage showing me the exits and entrance. Staff I could not fault them. The history was fantastic and a bonus as I love history. I would stay again as easy and central to get to places in the area.

In my room Number 42 the window to the front you could open was rotten. I found this insecure and needs to be repaired. There was a couple of gaps I could see daylight. Would not need much to open! If a female stopping on her own I would feel she may feel insecure. Would not need much to open. Unless scheduled to be repaired! I think this is important for security!!!!

The room was lovely, with a very comfortable bed, and the castle itself is stunning. The bar is cosy, with a good menu, and we enjoyed the shared meal we had there.

You have to leave the breakfast room and go to another room to collect your orange juice, fruit, jams etc. from the buffet - this in itself is not a problem, as it is a castle, and the layout is what it is. However, to make it easier to carry everything back to the table, why not provide trays to carry everything on? Also, small dishes could be provided next to the jam section - rather than guests having to use cereal bowls. In addition, the staff could be a little friendlier.

Lumley Castle is more an experience than just a hotel! We had Castle Superior rooms, 4 poster and half tester, up extra steps but so beautifully presented. No expense spared on interior design anywhere in the Castle. A magical experience! Breakfasts and dinner excellent. Staff so helpful and friendly.

Information on Booking.com was inaccurate as we thought we had booked rooms with walk in showers. Instead we had showers over the bath, up 3 steps! Anyone less able really needs to check carefully before they book. There were 65 steps up staircases to our rooms and the lift only served the first 23! Plus incidental steps along the way. So beware, it is a Castle after all. Our fire escape was the old stone spiral staircase that we hadn't a hope of negotiating. However, we managed and nothing could have spoiled our stay!

This is such a lovely quirky place to stay, the room was lovely and stocked with teas, coffees and coffee pods. We stayed in a courtyard room which had a small garden on the opposite side, it was really peaceful and such a warm cosy room. The staff were really nice, polite and attentive, while also providing a birthday card for my partner which was the reason for our trip. The location is so peaceful and the castle itself has a lot of history. We visited the bar where it had a lovely open fire and a really relaxed atmosphere. Breakfast at the castle was really tasty and more than enough to fill you up. The full English was really tasty and then we had a multitude of options from the continental provisions which were served buffet style in another room with plenty of options for all tastes. We plan to return with our children at some point as it is such a lovely place to experience.

The venue itself is amazing - very majestic and imposing castle, be prepared if you arrive at night as the look is very eerie! I brought my 10 year old daughter and she loved it! We stayed in the Courtyard. The room was very comfortable and no noise from neighbours once inside the room. The only downside was the door banged sometimes which woke me up. Also on arrival the bath looked like it had not been cleaned (you can guess what was in there) but I could not be bothered to raise this so I just cleaned it myself. Otherwise you couldn't fault it! Lovely hot shower, comfy bed and warm room. Great nights sleep. We ventured into the castle to explore and my daughter even had a 'drink' (lemonade in a wine glass) in the bar so she felt very grown up! I paid extra for breakfast which was amazing! Gorgeous restaurant, excellent service and food. We didn't eat in the restaurant on the night - instead we found an amazing Italian called Il Cancello - you should check them out - food was phenomenal! The castle has a resident cat at reception which my daughter loved and the guy on reception was very friendly and accommodating when she asked about ghosts :-)

Bath could have been cleaned

I needed to stay over for the evening due to work and found the usual hotels fully booked. I found Lumley Castle had space though and at a competitive price for a courtyard room. The room was clean and very comfortable. The buildings and history are spectacular so I considered myself very lucky to stumble upon such a place. I had a nice evening meal in the bar and the breakfast that was included in the price of the room was excellent too with a choice of cooked and continental or both. Definitely recommend.

There wasn't anything I was disappointed in. I plan to return with my wife to spend a couple of nights in the near future.

The locations and building is absolutely stunning. We stayed in the Castle State Room which was absolutely gorgeous. The bed was incredibly comfortable & the room itself was stunning & a perfect fit for the period. The bathroom was amazing - I am still thinking about that bath! Upon check in we were welcomed by friendly staff and waited on by the lovely staff in The Knights for Restaurant for our evening meal & breakfast. The food was delish and very reasonably priced! Lady Popper of Lumley Castle - what a gorgeous idea, I feel like this touch felt like home away from home. She is so friendly and how could she not put a smile on anyone’s face. I loved getting a snuggle and randomly finding her whilst exploring.

Our room had an exposed brick wall in the bathroom so there was a lot of dust, a fair few cobwebs on the ceiling in the bathroom and few rather large ones in the bedroom itself in the highest points and on the bed - sort of clung to the material. To me, this wasn’t a major issue as I did not notice until later on, in the evening so it didn’t spoil anything, nor did it spoil our opinions of the hotel as we’re already planning on returning & even discussing it being a contender should we choose to get married!

Ambiance, friendly team, good location, excellent breakfast, staff are helpful. Room was very comfortable and nice and warm. Had a very good night's sleep. Love that there is a hotel cat.

Markings in the courtyard carpark could be helpful, as there are some selfish and/or thoughtless drivers. Inside of the room windows had black mould on them at the bottom by the paint work, generally could have done with a good clean. Didn't like that we had to leave our dog in the car when we had breakfast, perhaps the smaller room at the side of the restaurant could be used for guests accompanied by their dog?