A Review of Beck Hall Hotel and Bistro, Malham.

Beck Hall Hotel lies in the centre of the Yorkshire Dales village of Malham. It has 19 en-suite rooms and is home to The Secret Garden Bistro. It was built in 1705, a charming riverside yeoman’s cottage that has grown over the years to become a small, dog-friendly hotel which has been lovingly and sympathetically restored and renovated by owners Andy and Louise Macbeth.

My partner Ian and I stayed for dinner, bed and breakfast last weekend. After checking in, we were shown to our room via the snug, a cosy room with an open fire and an honesty bar, (whereby guests help themselves and note down what they have taken along with their room number, so it can be charged on departure).

We dined in the Secret Garden Bistro which has a magical, almost ethereal atmosphere. The decor is divine with blazing chandeliers and other beautiful accessories including angel wings and ornate mirrors.

The seasonal menus offer wholesome dishes which make the most of the best local ingredients; good, honest food with a Yorkshire twist. To start with, I chose Yorkshire Fine Fettle cheese and spinach samosas which were served with a coriander yogurt dip, (£5.95).

Ian chose mushroom and red onion bhajis served with rocket salad and a garlic aioli dip, (£5.95). Both dishes were crispy, light and full of flavour.

We kept with the taste of India and for our main course ordered Keralan chicken curry, a spiced coconut cream curry (£13.95) and Keralan cauliflower curry, with green beans (£12). Both were beautifully presented and served with aromatic rice and chili flatbread. We shared them and enjoyed each as much as the other, particularly because the flavours blended together perfectly.

The desserts were all incredibly tempting but being cheese lovers, we decided to share the Yorkshire and Lancashire cheese selection (£6.95), which was accompanied by oat biscuits and apricot chutney. It would have course been rude not to add a glass of Port.

The opportunity to become an angel for a few minutes courtesy of the wall art was too good to resist. Fortunately, by that time, we were the only remaining diners.

We stayed in a Streamside Garden View room, one of several which have recently been fully refurbished. The decor, in soft neutral tones brings about an incredibly restful ambience.  The bed was very comfortable with high quality bed linens and pillows.

A large roll-top bath and walk-in shower with beautifully tiled walls make for a most desirable bathroom. In fact, they make for a stunning bathroom.

The perfect foil for a shoe selfie.

Quirky and decorative touches and features throughout the hotel add character and serve to remind of the hotel’s country location.

We awoke to the sound of birdsong and a gorgeously sunny view of the beck.

A full Yorkshire breakfast is included with an overnight stay. We
chose from the buffet and were served tea and coffee at the table before
ordering from the cooked breakfast menu. Ian decided upon a full cooked
breakfast, every element of which he said was delicious. I opted for scrambled
eggs and smoked salmon; simply perfect.

From start to finish, our stay at Beck Hall was faultless. Free wifi throughout the hotel, (no password needed) and a flask of milk on arrival to use with the tea and coffee making facilities in the bedroom were just two small touches that added to our stay. The location is absolutely stunning and speaks for itself, but it’s the friendly staff and the warm feeling that make it so very special.

There’s an outdoor seating area overlooking the beck where we sat for a short while after breakfast before heading off to walk up to Malham Cove and Janet’s Foss and to make the most of the beautiful spring sunshine.

I’m fortunate to live in a such a beautiful part of the world and I visit Malham regularly but whether or nor you’re local, I thoroughly recommend Beck Hall Hotel and Bistro for the food, the bedrooms and the outstanding service. Ian and I would like to thank Andy, Louise and every single member of the staff who made our stay so wonderful. It’s a jewel in Malham’s Crown and just last month won the award for best accommodation at the Inaugral Skipton Business Awards.

Beck Hall
Cove Road
Malham
Skipton
BD23 4DY
01729 830729
stay@beckhallmalham.com
www.beckhallmalham.com

Disclosure:
Ian and I were guests at Beck Hall as part of my role at Aspire Magazine for which I was reviewing the hotel and restaurant.