Tyne & Wear

Hotel du Vin Newcastle

Known locally as Allan House, since 2008 the former site of the Tyne Tees Steam Shipping Company has been home to Newcastle's HdV. And what a home it is. Not the most impressive of buildings, inside it's all about fun, relaxation and indulgence.

Eat: Food in the bistro is exactly what you expect from a modern interpretation of French bistro food, and here there’s an open-style theatre kitchen serving food made to a consistently high standard with a wine list to match the hotel’s name. Better sommeliers than you’d expect at this standard of hotel are also a nice feature. As well as the bistro, where dogs aren't allowed, there's the Laroche tasting room, two stunning private dining rooms, Bubble bar, a courtyard for alfresco dining and an outstanding wine cellar, where they can join you and (if you ask nicely) the bistro menu can be made available. Room service is also available.

Sleep: All bedrooms are dog- friendly, and all come up to classic HdV standards, with the minimum  being a bloody comfortable bed and a cracking shower. Many feature trademark freestanding baths and views across the increasingly cultural and lively Tyne river front.

Walk: The Meat Market on a Friday night may be an institution, but it's hardly dog friendly. Nevertheless with more fancy bridges across the river opening all the time it seems there are endless possibilities for guided walks around central Newcastle. Or take the Metro out to Tynemouth and enjoy the seaside experience of Longsands (dogs allowed only in winter) or King Edward's Bay.  Or take in the a walk around the Palladian splendour of nearby National Trust property Gibside. Further afield there is the splendour of the Northumberland National Park.