Karen Yates explores the art of the “slow staycation” with PoB Hotels, swapping speed for serenity at two of Britain’s most characterful five-star escapes — the grand Matfen Hall in Northumberland and The Athenaeum in the heart of London — with a delicious detour to The Hari’s il Pampero along the way…
Have you heard there’s a new way to travel? It’s called taking a slow staycation and it means pausing, not necessarily for long but with intention. It’s a greener way to explore our isles and is rooted in mindfulness, not mileage. It’s the brainchild of PoB hotels, which also includes Ellenborough Park, which I wrote about recently for this publication.
The slow staycation idea needs investigating, I thought. So I boarded the whizzy, all-electric Lumo train from London’s King’s Cross for the three-hour journey direct to Newcastle, where I hailed a cab for the 30-minute drive to Matfen Hall in Northumberland.
This five-star grande dame makes a good first impression with her sweeping drive, imposing Gothic architecture and beautifully planted gardens. She sits in 300 acres, much of it golf courses, currently 18 holes and 27 from June 2026. But first a welcome drink in the grand hall, where a big, comfy leather sofa next to the enormous fireplace with a log fire crackling away provides an ideal spot to admire the original stained-glass windows and huge iron light fittings.
I imagined what it must have been like to live here in 1832, when the hotel was rebuilt (parts of the original 16th-century brickwork can be seen as you wander around). “Wherever you are, always look up,” said James, one of the team, so I did, to see a panelled ceiling hand-painted in blue with gold stars. James’s advice is a pretty good mantra for life, I thought.
After this auspicious welcome, I headed up the huge wooden staircase to my suite, which is also vast, probably the footprint of a small terraced house in London, and the ceilings are, as you’d expect, high. The view is of the gardens, where people sit with drinks admiring the view of golf courses as far as the eye can see. My bathroom is also sizeable, with a freestanding bath, a walk-in shower and Penhaligon’s products.
Wandering around the hotel, in addition to its great size, I noticed the beautiful glass light fittings, wallpapers (many flecked with gold), oil paintings and a harmonious mixture of old and new throughout. As well as golfing (should it be raining, there’s a golf simulator in The Keepers clubhouse, where you can also take lunch and supper), Matfen Hall has a spa, where I enjoyed a 30-minute Skin-Zen Rose Facial, and there’s a heated indoor pool if you fancy a dip afterwards.
Fully refreshed, I headed for the 1832 cocktail bar and ordered a classic margarita but you can also ask for one with rhubarb-infused tequila, this being rhubarb season. Then to the Emerald Room for the eight-course tasting menu, which can be matched with wines. The menu changes with the seasons, but when I visited dishes included English asparagus with duck egg, hand-dived scallop with green strawberry and gooseberry, and lamb rump with Jersey royals, anchovy, broccoli and yoghurt. After eight excellent courses and some fine wine, petits fours and coffee were served.
The following morning, after breakfast in the light and airy Cloisters and a final wander around this lovely hotel, I took a taxi back to Newcastle to catch the train to London.
Three hours later, I was feeling like a tourist in my own city and slightly overwhelmed by the number of people rushing around King’s Cross after the tranquillity of Matfen Hall. But I soon soaked in the buzz of the capital, and the contrast between Matfen and The Athenaeum, my next stop, was striking. As the cab drew into Down Street off Piccadilly, opposite Green Park, the first thing I saw was a living wall of plants on The Athenaeum’s red brick Victorian exterior, setting the tone nicely for the hotel’s eco credentials.
Through the lobby, where you’re greeted by a large and friendly dog sculpture, and into the foyer where Matfen’s oil paintings and stained-glass windows are swapped for elegant modern prints and coffee tables covered with the latest glossy magazines. Into the lift for my 10th-floor suite, with its views across Mayfair’s rooftops and chimney pots, with Green Park’s treetops to the left.
The suite itself is large and airy with London-themed prints and glass tables, one of which was topped with handmade chocolates and a small bottle of Hayman’s London Dry Gin and some Fever-Tree tonic water, given to all guests. Don’t mind if I do. There’s a little side room for dressing, with a coffee machine; even the tea is British – Tregothnan, grown in Cornwall. The spacious bathroom has a bath, shower, twin sinks and Molton Brown products.
On the same floor as my suite is the appropriately named The View lounge, available only for guests, where I stood on the balcony and took in uninterrupted views over Green Park, soaking in the spirit of this great city. Inside, there are leather seats and sofas to sit on while you chat to friends, admire the black and white photography on the walls or flick through the many art books.
Time for supper. While you can dine at The Athenaeum, I decided to stretch my legs and took the scenic 20-minute walk to five-star The Hari in Belgravia. Here you’ll also find plenty of art books and prints, but it was food I was after and I headed for The Hari’s il Pampero restaurant on the ground floor. Il Pampero, it turns out, isn’t an Italian word – Pampero was the name of the late Mr Harilela’s favourite racehorse and the ‘il’ was added to give the name an Italian flavour, and racing images can be seen on the restaurant walls.
The menu is soon to change to more Puglian-style food, but when I visited I started with the seasonal mixed salad with large and juicy prawns, avocado, cherry tomatoes with a honey and mustard dressing, followed by the pan-roasted monkfish tail on a pea, asparagus and broad bean casserole. Desserts include gelati, ice cream, vegan cheesecake and a rather theatrical tiramisu, constructed tableside as the waitress soaked ladyfinger biscuits in espresso and topped them with generous amounts of fresh mascarpone with a choice of Disaronno, Frangelico or Borghetti and a sprinkling of cacao powder. Decadence in a bowl.
After a very comfortable night’s sleep back at The Athenaeum, I enjoyed breakfast at the hotel’s 116 restaurant before heading home. Despite being away for just two nights I felt I’d had a relaxing break at two characterful yet contrasting five-star hotels, dined at another and experienced among the best Northumberland and London have to offer. A slow staycation indeed.
Rooms at Matfen Hall start at £305 for a Classic Room. For more information, please visit www.pobhotels.com. Rooms at The Athenaeum start at £450 for a Park View Room; details at www.pobhotels.com. Discover more about PoB Hotels’ slow staycations at Slow Staycations | PoB Hotels, and travelling with Lumo here. For information about Lumo trains, visit www.lumo.co.uk.
