Farnley Tower

Farnley Tower descritpion

Hotel Farnley Tower sells fast on our site. Farnley Tower provides stunning views of Durham Castle and Cathedral. The guesthouse is a prominent Victorian mansion, renowned for its architecture and gardens, and has free Wi-Fi and free parking on site.
Dine in the award-winning Gourmet Spot restaurant and bar, specializing in innovative, creative and artistic cuisine. The menu features an array of local fresh produce and a huge choice of wines.
All comfortable rooms are individually designed. Some rooms have beautiful countryside views
Farnley Tower is just a short walk from the center of town.

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Facilities of Farnley Tower

Outdoors ：Grounds | Terrace

Pets ：Pets are allowed. Charges may apply.

Food & Drink ：Restaurant | Bar | Breakfast in the Room | Restaurant with Dining Menu | Special Diet Meals (upon request)

Internet ：Free!WiFi is available in all areas and is free of charge.

Parking ：Free!Free public parking is available on site (reservation is not needed).

Reviews for Farnley Tower

Review 1：I was disappointed with the broken shower. I am not able to use a bath anymore and the existing shower could only be hand held. As there was no handle to get hold of for safety I was unable to use the shower at all.

Review 2：Friendliness of staff Comfort of room and excellent bed Very good TV and easy to use

Review 3：Creacking old floors. Every steps you make-everybody can hear it. Sameif someone live upto your room.

Review 4：Hotel near town center. Good and helpfull stuff.cosy,big,nice dexorated room. We found everything we asked and much moore. Hope come back one day

Review 5：Plenty of free parking and walking distance to town centre. Very spacious, comfortable room & en suite with bath. Lovely breakfast & staff. The on site restaurant is a bonus - food was amazing!

Review 6：Bed a bit too soft but just my own preference.

Review 7：Staff extremely helpful. Lovely breakfast brought to our room at no extra cost. Clean, nice shower, plenty of towels and shower gel. TV in room plus tea making facilities.

Review 8：This is a beautiful property with on site parking and the facility to leave the car and walk into the city. The staff were very helpful and accommodating and the rooms were large and clean.

Review 9：Our room was very dated and good quite believe it used to be an old peoples home. Bathroom slightly mouldy. Unbelievably squeaky floorboards! Gap in the window

Review 10：Staff were efficient and friedly lovely reception area and breakfast room

Review 11：Very friendly, helpful and relaxed staff (important since our visit was over Christmas) Large room, very comfortable, quiet, warm (despite rain and wind raging outside our bay window - which had a super overview of Durham Cathedral and Castle) Relaxed attitude to our travelling with our dog (this is getting rarer and rarer) Farnely Towers is very home-like, without the need to interact with family hosts the entire visit. It was great

Review 12：It was an extremely small single room...no place for my suitcase at all!!! So decided to move to another place...was supposed to stay for 11 days...it turned into 2 nights

Review 13：Restaurant was lovely..house lovely, room clean.

Review 14：Hotel is a total dump. There were no good points to be honest. Every floor board squeaked (every last one) so constantly nosiy with sleeping children in the room! Room carpet had debris on it and was threadbare. Shower didn't work (sprayed the entire bathroom as came out of the broken hose). No toilet roll!!!! A downpour leak in the dining room during breakfast. This might seem rude, but honestly not a 2 star, never mind a 4 star, have not actually stayed in a worse hotel.

Review 15：Staff were very pleasant

Review 16：The breakfasts were very poor. weak and tasteless tea and coffee. Cheap bread and jam. Cooked things were OK. Not up to standard of hotel

Review 17：Nice room and bathroom (could do with a little more shelf space). Pleasant architecture. Handy top class restaurant.

Review 18：When I return to Durham my stay will definitely be at Farnley. Although, I do not generally give recommendations I would definitely give one for this hotel.

Review 19：Tiny bit of damp in room needs attention Breakfast didn't have the wow factor, but can't complain for the money!

Review 20：Very well presented hotel. Cosy, comfortable room. Ideally situated for town Quick breakfast service Great value for money

Review 21：Very pleasant staff. Great breakfast and very clean. Would stay again. Oh and very very quiet which I loved, so did my friend who stayed in another room.

Review 22：Coffee that is served with breakfast (seems to be made in an old-fashioned filter machine and just doesn't taste nice). Everything else was great.

Review 23：Great room, very spacious, lovely and quiet, nice location, just 10 mins walk from town centre, very nice and friendly staff.

Review 24：On both mornings, I could hear every word of one of the breakfast waitresses complaining about her colleagues to someone else, which I thought was quite unprofessional. The room was pretty basic with a very small bathroom but still good for the money I paid. The heating seemed to go off very early and I was really cold on the first night but as I arrived quite late I just used the spare blanket rather than try to find someone to query it.

Review 25：Great location, near to the centre and less than a mile away from where I needed to go to for work each day. Great breakfast options, particularly the cooked menu. Lovely building with ample car parking. Room was clean, good shower, no excess noise at night.

Review 26：it was a little further from the town centre than what was suggested on the website . Also i requested a large double and what was in our room was not even a normal double it was a queen size. no way would you be able to see cathederal or river view from that location

Review 27：the room was nice and warm the breakfast was lovely

Review 28：The only thing that did disturb me was the movement of the people in the room above.

Review 29：Rooms were very clean and of a high standard. Both the exterior and interior of the building were very attractive.

Review 30：Decor & furniture in room very dated & tired. Bathroom - some seal round bath missing.

Review 31：Staff very pleasant and helpful. Breakfast very good and scrambled eggs cooked to my finicky way.

Review 32：It wasn't a bad experience, however I do feel that everything in my room looked tired and a little dated. Appreciate that the décor and furniture should reflect the period of the house, however it could be better.

Review 33：Location and parking facilities.

Review 34：Nothing was too much trouble for the hotel staff. We were made to feel very welcome, the hotel was clean and comfortable and the breakfasts were lovely! Apart from the steep hill, the location was perfect for us.

Review 35：perfectly pleasant, quiet, nice bright breakfast room and good breakfast with view of yard while eating. Nice building and rooms. Ease of checking in and pleasant host. I also found out that there is a washer/dryer for guest use. I shall remember that for next time!

Review 36：The furnishings in the room were a little rough around the edges, but functional and comfortable nonetheless.

Review 37：I was able to check in early at no extra cost, and the staff were extremely friendly and helpful. The room was clean and breakfast was lovely.

Review 38：Our room could not get any WiFi reception. Steep slope up to the hotel but it was central to town centre

Review 39：excellent breakfast. Very helpful staff. Large spacious room

Review 40：Hotel situated on a steep hill ,a difficult walk up as we had my father in a wheelchair ,we ended up walking down and getting a taxi back up .

Review 41：Very clean ,nice breakfast ,perfect for a few days away in a lovely place like Durham.

Review 42：Bit of an uphill trudge coming back from the centre of Durham.

Review 43：Property was relatively close to the centre of Durham. It would appear that we had one of the better rooms within the B & B. On site car parking.

Review 44：We had no bad experience

Review 45：Friendly, efficient, quiet location and loved the fact that it comes across a family run private hotel in these days of bland brands. Our room had a great view toward Durham Cathedral. Breakfast was perfect and very quick considering everyone seemed to arrive at the same time!

Review 46：BATHROOM WAS VERY SMALL. A PROBLEM GETTING IN AND OUT .NOT MUCH STORAGE SPACE. THE NOISIEST BED I HAVE EVER SLEPT IN. TERRIBLE NIGHTS SLEEP ( ROOM 6)

Review 47：QUITE A GOOD LOCATION

Review 48：There was nothing not to like.

Review 49：The room, the service, the location were great. As a vegetarian, my needs were provided for at breakfast. Checking in and out was easy and staff were friendly and helpful. I was even able to leave my car in their car park on the day of departure. There was no stress. It was all very easy and relaxing. Thank you.

Review 50：There was black mould round the bath . Shower was a mixer tap over bath not very good. Bed was Very soft and there was a lot of doors banging .

Review 51：It was in a good place to get into town centre

Review 52：Decor in Dining Room was a bit too white and not to our liking. Must be high maintenance to keep. Wi-fi needed a stronger signal, but was nice to have.

Review 53：The twin room was very spacious so we congregated there. The beds were comfy and chairs in the room were a good idea. Lovely breakfast too.

Review 54：Shower curtain was trailing on the floor because the rod had broke. The general cleanliness was disappointing as I found dust on bed head and telephone .I also noticed the window opened wide and didnt have child lock on and being on the second floor with a curious five year old it did make me uneasy

Review 55：Staff where really nice to our children. I also requested that I needed a waterproof mattress as one of my children does tend to have accidents and sure enough they had a lovely waterproof bed .

Review 56：Facilities need updating such as the plumbing. Also staff on arrival not very friendly and a little condescending at times. Didn't feel welcome on arrival.

Review 57：Beds very comfortable and rooms were spacious.

Review 58：Within walking distance of the Cathedral and Centre which we liked. Large comfortable room, good beds, and very clean. Good breakfast. Would be good if it had an update of decor and curtains. Otherwise, excellent and to be recommended.

Review 59：Noisy room with inconsiderate guest who had television on ALL night. This was not the fault of the hotel. Poor quality sausage at breakfast. Would expect better quality considering cost.

Review 60：Good location

Review 61：Reception welcome poor. Bed in room should have been King and was basic double and...creaked...absolutely awful...should have been replaced years ago. Breakfast very average and cold coffee. After complaint at check out got a £10 reduction on 3 night £270 stay.

Review 62：Nothing that the hotel actually provided.

Review 63：The sign outside is hard to see in the dark when trying to find it and the postcode can sat nav you to a dead end.

Review 64：The bed was very comfortable and the people very friendly

Review 65：Horrendously noisy bed which made for a very poor nights' sleep. Very small room for the price paid. If you plan to stay here, make sure you don't get room 6 (or should that be 666?).

Review 66：A good breakfast

Review 67：If you have a low fronted car then watch out going into carpark. Street parking may be available. If you walk in to town then remember its all up hill on the way home so make sure youre up to it...not a problem for us but it did make us huff a bit!

Review 68：The biulding was lovely with nice internal period features. The room was big and the bed MASSIVE!! We had a bath with shower over, which we like for choice. Good breakfast. Free parking. 10 mins approx walk into town (but uphill on way back)

Review 69：Bed was not very comfortable, and shower head would not stay up properly on riser rail, Could probably do with a little updating

Review 70：Staff were friendly and helpful, good breakfast. Lovely building and garden. Short walk to station and town centre.

Review 71：Very thing walls. I could actually hear my neighbor snoring next door. Creaky floor in the tiny bathroom made me feel like it was about to collapse. Very tired furniture in my little single room.

Review 72：Water pressure in the shower was excellent. Breakfast very nice.

Review 73：Damp bathroom and window that was alongside the bath/shower on street level. We wouldn't describe it as a friendly B&B ,although the waiting staff were great, the owner/manager was very difficult to talk to.

Review 74：Lovely old building and good location

Review 75：The location was good - near to the town centre but far enough away from any noise. The house had beautiful original features. Breakfast was good and staff very polite.

Review 76：Good small hotel, the room was slightly dull but clean and comfortable. The price was reasonable compared with large local hotels. Breakfast was good.

Review 77：We were told that breakfast would be served until 9.30am on the Sunday. The kitchen staff thought it was 8.30am, but they did still serve us. So better communication between staff would be good.

Review 78：Very handy for walking to the middle of the town if you don't have a problem walking up hill on the way back. Great car parking. Lovely big room.

Review 79：Poor shower, had to wash hair in washbasin as could not get hot water from shower. As room small and stuffy had to climb on chair to operate window. Room overpriced.

Review 80：Location and breakfast

Review 81：Characterful hotel in a pleasant elevated location (if a bit of a walk from the centre!). Courteous, welcoming staff. It was my second visit, and I would definitely stay again.

Review 82：General maintenance . Difficulty in placing breakfast order - more attention needed here. Hotel common parts and breakfast room very hot

Review 83：Location , accessible and size of bedrooms

Review 84：The bed in our room was so uncomfortable and creaked every time we moved The mattress was collapsing it was so old! The bathroom was cramped and the towels old and frayed. The service at breakfast would have made a good episode for Fawlty Towers.

Review 85：Apart from leaving,it is hard to find anything positive to say about this establishment.

Review 86：room looked over a brick wall- was expecting the lovely views of the cathedral they advertise! no towels in the bathroom on arrival, beds not entirely stable, uncomfy! Breakfast unremarkable.

Review 87：it was freshers week and hard to find anywhere to stay! wasn't impressed with it generally

Review 88：Shower head poor quality but only a small niggle as everything else excellent

Review 89：Very pleasant staff arrived early no problem room was ready so we could leave our luggage and enjoy Durham even upgraded us to a bigger room which was delightful and very clean. Lovely quality breakfast.

Review 90：Single room was cramped, dark and old fashioned. Tv tiny and tempermental when you changed channel, volume it lost the signal. Bathroom tiny and tired.

Review 91：Location

Review 92：Ensuite was in need of overhaul and toilet did not appear to have been cleaned

Review 93：Staff were very pleasant Pretty location and reasonable distance from town.

Review 94：Great location. Wished we had reserved a table in the restaurant for dinner as it turned out to be all booked up and the menu looked great. Good choice at breakfast all cooked to order. Short walk in to Durham but all uphill on the way back (we got a taxi!). Will book again.

Review 95：Restaurant is closed on Mondays - hadn't spotted that from the website. Noise travels very easily from room to room here and other guest's TV's and general clomping around is really quite intrusive. I was very glad I didn't have an amorous couple in an adjoining room!

Review 96：Well-located hotel and very pleasant staff. Good value.

Review 97：Rooms very dated and need upgrading. Sink blocked on arrival was told it would be fixed during the day but wasn't. Paid on departure & was informed of a surcharge if paying by credit card. Not sure where the 4 star rating came from

Review 98：The property from the outside looked lovely. Cathedral & castle well worth a visit.

Review 99：The hotel does not reflect the online description, no bar and no communal area to relax. The only bar area is in the DH1 restaurant but can only be used when dinning in the restaurant. Cleanliness in the hotel is lacking as well of the rooms were not replenished during our stay. Left hand towel in shower one day, dirty and wet due to having to use this as a shower mat, still there when returning to the room later that day. next days same hand towel put back on towel rack dirty and wet. On returning back to the room another day, the curtain was hanging off the rails, asked on duty staff to come and have a look, their response, they would get a ladder to rectify. Why was this left for us to find and request repair? Breakfast on our first morning very good, deteriorated then after on the last day food over cooked and dry. Manager totally disinterested, no questions asked on departure only stated price of the bill. Must praise other members of the staff in the breakfast room, very helpful and willing to listen. DH1 restaurant NOT part of the hotel. Hotel NOT 4 stars.

Review 100：Location, off road parking

Review 101：Bath was a bit short but I am 6 foot.

Review 102：This is a picturesque old hotel in a quiet street a short 10 minute walk from the centre of this charming cathedral city.We asked for & were given room 12 which is spacious & had wonderful views. It even had windows that opened. Quite a rarity in large/modern hotels. The staff were very attentive & even brought fresh milk for tea to our room in the morning.The plentiful & tasty breakfast was served in a lovely room overlooking the lawn.If your looking for an evening meal try the lively & excellent value Mama Pasta just a short walk up the road

Review 103：There could be better lighting - it was fairly dim and that's not conducive to being able to put your makeup on at night. There needs to be at least one brighter, whiter light near a mirror for those of us who don't want to scare the locals when we venture out in the evening.

Review 104：The bed was supremely comfortable adn the room large and airy. There was a decent sized TV with good reception, which is a bonus when you want to relax after a day walking up and down those hills.

Review 105：WiFi is a bit hit and miss. We stayed in room 5 and could not get connected to any of the 3 hot spots, without going into the lobby.

Review 106：nice property, rooms clean and room 5 is well decorated, and is well located to investigate Durham city centre.

Review 107：Our room, overlooking the yard, was lovely, and I was sorry that we couldn't stay longer than one night. We wanted to set off early the next morning, which was a Sun, and asked if it were possible to have breakfast earlier than the scheduled time, and the staff accommodated our request. We had a wonderful stay, thank you.

Review 108：Stayed in ground floor room 3 and suffered from a lot of noise from above. It sounded like a baboon in hobnail boots moving about from 10pm till after midnight. No shampoo provided. Net curtains not offering great privacy in bathroom at night. Only discovered the separate restaurant was shut due to a private function on the day I arrived.

Review 109：Large, airey room for one person. Good tv, comfy bed. A taxi was booked for me by staff and it turned up exactly on time as requested. Staff lovely and helpful. Nice breakfast.

Review 110：Some maintenance needed, some traces of dust in the room. When we checked out our debit card seemed not to work (at other places it did work well). The owner didn't really try our second card so we had to pay cash.

Review 111：Spacious room, nice building, quiet neighbourhood. Bus stop with frequent buses nearby.

Review 112：Bottom sheet on bed didn't fit small holes in sheet (mybe I am nit picking)

Review 113：Good location up a hill 20min in to centre of Durham Free parking Excellent Breakfast Large bedroom Large en suite Lovely fluffy towels Good decor Hairdryer provided Tea/Coffee facilities Lots of leaflets in entrance to help your Itinerary

Review 114：The worn and dirty armchairs, the curtains hanging off the rails, the broken glass lampshade.

Review 115：Overall the hotel was clean and comfortable and breakfast was good with pleasant staff, but the room neede some updating and TLC

Review 116：We would have stayed but when we arrived at hotel unfortunately we hit double booking though we booked over half year ago.

Review 117：Very kind staff. He found other hotel and booked for us.

Review 118：Check-in and check-out were friendly but somewhat matter-of-fact by the duty staff - an absence of informal conversation at both. (Both felt more like corporate chain hotel front of house service rather than independently run B&B.) Change the breakfast sausage please from a greasy breadstick to something locally made and sourced containing meat - it let an otherwise good cooked breakfast down.

Review 119：Characterful place with plenty of parking. Very comfy bed (room 12) light and airy with a view of the Cathedral. Spacious room. Excellent attentive service at breakfast. Very good location - reasonably close to the city centre but not blighted by traffic noise, nightlife or city centre revellers.

Review 120：We had a early start on our leaving day and arranged with two people for a continental breakfast to be left to help ourselves, unfortunately all doors locked.

Review 121：Most of everything else

Review 122：The room I was in had a slanted ceiling which made this a little uncomfortable for me as I'm very tall.

Review 123：I had to cut short my trip and the staff were happy not to charge me for the whole booking. In today's money grabbing world that was a very nice gesture. The walk into town was only about 10-15 minutes.

Review 124：We were tokd of the restaurant but only advised at 6am it was closed. No information on eating facilities in the area. Bed linen should be replaced looking tired.

Review 125：Clean and pleasant suburb

Review 126：Very uncomfortable bed, very noisy room (our room was situated on ground floor, so we were disturbed by guests walking on creaking floor upstairs till midnight and were woken up by the traffic before 06:00 )

Review 127：Good looking building, spacious room (family room) which sufficient for 2 adults and 2 older children and nice breakfast

Review 128：This hotel is a gem. fabulous breakfast. Spacious, clean room. Incredibly comfortable bed and a good night's sleep. Walking distance from station and city centre.

Review 129：nothing the hotel could do but a noisy family with screaming young children and banging of doors throughout next to us spoilt the otherwise peace of the hotel

Review 130：found the bed far to soft not comfortable noise quite loud from the old floorboards above woken up at 6am from the guests

Review 131：lovely location, staff very helpful and the breakfast was good

Review 132：If I had to comment then it would be purely location. Bit of a walk to the Center however we found that enjoyable (helped that the weather was nice).

Review 133：Great big room on the ground floor. Very comfortable bed. Those nice little touches e.g Warm towels handed to you on arrival. Great personal touch

Review 134：Difficult to find via sat nav. No bar. Restaurant was fully booked to non residents.

Review 135：Period features, interesting building. Close to Town albeit via a steep hill.

The Fine Print

If you would like dinner at the guesthouse, you must book a table before arrival.The bar and restaurant are closed on Sundays and Mondays.