Houndgate Townhouse0

Location, an easy walk from the railway station; size of room, bigger than I'd expected; comfort of room - four poster bed, bath AND walk-in shower (though no soap provided next to the bath); lovely restaurant (though only used it for breakfast). The place also has a new, fresh feel despite being an old building. Often times old buildings are creaking and fusty; not here. Overall, a very comfortable place to stay.

As is often the case, the restaurant shut far too early in the evening for me to use, at 8.45pm; I'd like to have eaten there. Residents need to be given a front door key; I returned to the hotel at 10.30pm and had to hammer on the door to be let in. If they're going to put a bath in the bedroom then provide soap too. Only bottled soap is available in the bathroom. But these are details; the positives hugely overwhelm these niggles.

The breakfast was "the best ever" everything was covered on the menu, everywhere was spotlessly clean, staff where there straight away to meet you and help in anyway they could . In the room slippers and dressing gowns where available,which was a nice touch as well as hairdryer, iron and safe. The staff were so helpful even the latenight porter who let us in, and offered some soda water for my husbands sore throat.

I had to leave some constructive critism, which really isn't a deal breaker at all, but the coffee and tea tray was a little on the sparse side with missing biscuits?!!!!!

Perfect location for town centre. 15 minute stroll to railway station. All the staff are lovely and friendly. Rooms are clean with all amenities. Comfortable bed. In house fish restaurant is good with an adjacent and relaxing bar. Breakfast is very good with a large selection to suit everyone. Eggs royale was my wife's favourite!

The room I stayed in on a previous visit wasn't available ( not hotels fault it's popular) and the room I had was smaller (and cheaper). Not as nice as previous room but still perfectly suitable for a short stay.

Truly, a beautiful Edwardian building that has kept it’s heritage. from the moment you walk in you are quickly transported away from the hustle and bustle to a beautiful staircase. the room we had was so cosy and clean. The staff were accommodating to our every need even supporting us with an early check in due to needing to attend a local wedding. The staff were all super polite and friendly even to the point where the cleaner saw us on our way to the wedding and told us how good we looked. Just a truly pleasant experience, one we wished we could’ve stayed an extra day. the breakfast is top notch too.

I have no complaints at all. my only tiny bug bear was that there wasn’t (as far as I could see) a short information guide in the room. I think as a suggestion, it may be worth creating a small card with important information on for each room that contains the WiFi code and important telephone numbers etc. just for reference for guests. other than that, superb hotel.

Great location in town and a convenient walk from the National Rail station. Also, quick walk to bus stops. Beautiful building with beautiful rooms. Spacious and very clean bathroom is appreciated.

Our view was of a car park garage with bright lights on all night that shines through the windows. Hot and stuffy room needed windows opened at night in mid-July for air circulation. The shower sprays water everywhere so be careful when climbing out of the high sides of the tub, you will slip!

Stunning historic building with many architectural features. Lovely comfortable room decorated tastefully. The bed was super comfortable A lot of extras which makes the stay more pleasant, e.g bathroom toiletries, a shower cap, nail file cotton pad set, ear plugs, a fan, tea and coffee making facilities, a dressing table area with mirror, a full length mirror, dressing gown and slippers. Very friendly staff. Added bonus of a nice bar and a restaurant on site. There's also a lift. Breakfast great

As the hotel is in central Darlington the room we had was on the roadside and it was extremely noisy all night with revellers and traffic. Then just as it went quiet in the early morning the road sweeper started! We had to have the windows open (even with the fan)because of the extreme heat. In the room there were a couple of niggles. The glass for use in the bathroom wasn't clean and the toilet bowl wasn't clean in the bottom.

My stay in this hotel was perfect from start to finish. I received a very warm welcome from Ange who took great care of me during my stay and made me feel very welcome indeed. I received an unexpected room upgrade which was a real treat. The room was beautifully decorated and comfortable with everything I needed. I ate in the Saltfish restaurant and the food was amazing and the breakfast the next morning was the best I have ever had. I will definitely be booking to stay here again and would highly recommend it to others.

I am not able to identify anything I did not like. It would be helpful if information about car parking was made clearer as I had understood there was hotel parking but this is not the case but there is multi story parking very close by.

Hotel: With only a few rooms it is a rather small, very personal hotel. Everything is nicely done and it rather feels like coming home, than checking in. It is very clean, modern standards and has all facilities you might need, such as sewing kit, ironing board, blow dryer,… it’s all there. We needed adapters for continental plugs - no problem - got three! The beds (we had room 5 with two separate beds) are great. Long enough for a 6 foot person, not too soft and not to hard, with a fluffy blanket a good nights sleep was guaranteed! But the best was the service. The team is as friendly as it can get. Everyone is looking after giving you an easy, pleasant stay. Restaurant: the included breakfast is great. You can hardly ask for more. We also had dinner at ‘Saltfish’, the restaurant at the hotel. The food is very good and so is the variety of offered dishes. They serve non-fish as well as vegetarian. There is also a small bar, but we didn’t try any drinks.

Literally everything was great. We were looked after, whatever was needed!

The staff were incredible, 5* service. Special shout out to Erica who went above and beyond at all times! The breakfast was 10/10, as was the meal we had in the restaurant. The bed was really comfy and loved the full length mirror in our room- so handy for getting ready for a Wedding!

The room wasn't the one I had booked on booking.com- I've always liked that when you book on this website, the photo of the room you are shown is always the exact room you get but, that didn't happen this time, the room was still lovely and very comfy though. Only downside was we were next to the road so had a bit of a disturbed sleep from traffic and people walking by late at night.

Houndgate townhouse is a beautiful property brimming full with fascinating history (well worth researching) The staff are extremely friendly and the eggs benedict we both plumped for at breakfast was truly excellent.

My only slight quibble would be that the view from our room was very disappointing as it was of the multi storey car park and air conditioning unit but as we were there only for one night it made no difference.