We picked Rudding Park as the venue for our civil service wedding & reception in March 2008. (There is also a chapel in the grounds for those wanting a church service/blessing).

As we weren't sure what the weather would be like at that time of year, Rudding was the perfect venue as the interior is so beautiful you can still get some great photos indoors.

We booked the bridal suite for 2 nights & it's the biggest suite I've ever seen! There is an entrance hall area with a toilet & shower off this. The hall leads through one door into the large lounge area & connecting doors lead into the huge bedroom (& huge bed!). There is a separate bathroom with bath & shower off the bedroom (all stocked with Molton Brown toiletries!). The rooms have recently been redecorated in a mix of period & contemporary style with beautiful sash windows overlooking the grounds. There are dressing gowns & a hairdryer provided. There is a TV in the bedroom & lounge & both rooms have internet facilities. Complimentary water is provided as well. The rooms are well maintained & spotless.

The decor throughout the hotel is beautiful & the terrace area outside is lovely. The food is high quality, but what impressed us most is that despite the luxury of the hotel, the staff are not remotely snooty. They treat all guests with extreme politeness & professionalism and are extremely friendly & approachable. Our wedding co-ordinator (Rebecca) was excellent & on the day of the wedding the duty manager (Noel Dobbin) was absolutely brilliant - we didn't have to worry about a thing as everything went without a hitch.

If your wedding guests can't afford to stay at Rudding, close by are the Kestrel Inn (prices start about £65) - less than 5 mins away by car & the Premier Travel Inn at Hornbeam Park, Harrogate (next to the railway station) approx 10-15 mins away - again similar price per room.

Harrogate town centre is about 20mins away in rush hour traffic & you're also not far from Knaresborough & Harewood House is about 15 mins away. Ripley Castle is also worth a visit.

There is plenty of choice for eating out in Harrogate - we particularly like the Pine Marten (which also has accommodation) & Grille (Balmoral Hotel). There are also Italian, Chinese, Indian & Thai restaurants in the centre of Harrogate & numerous pubs & bars, as well as the famous Betty's tea shop (although be prepared to queue for up to an hour for a table!).

Our stay was for two nights 23rd/24th April whilst visiting the Harrogate Spring flower Show. The Hotel is perfectly situated for easy access to events at the Great Yorkshire Showground. Our room was one of the magnificently appointed suites, booked at a very reasonable rate through the Hotels own website. From the helpful greeting on arrival with total help with our luggage to our smooth checkout , the staff were exceptional. The Clocktower restaurant lived upto its reputation, the food was perfectly cooked and presented , the wine list offering choice and value. With it's stunning location and exceptional standards this hotel is truly outstanding.A perfect stay, we will be returning again and again.

I chose Rudding Park to propose to my girlfriend, I booked for a Saturday night in April.

On booking my room the reservations lady Lisa gave me plenty of ideas on where to propose and booked a pretty area in the grounds for me to use on my arrival.

When we got there I "did the deed" and was greeted immediately after by the hotel events organiser Magda with a bottle of champagne to celebrate. This theme of feeling special continued for the whole 48 hours, we were congratulated and treated fantastically the whole time.

The rooms were luxurious and spacious, we booked the standard double which was more than enough. The TV had Sky Sports and over 4000 songs as well.

The food in the restaurant was also of a high class, although expensive it is certainly worth it.

The only downside is the hotel doesn’t have a swimming pool but they are due to commence building a spa this year.

We think this is a lovely hotel. We booked on a special offer (20% discount on certain Fridays) and when being shown to our room, we were led downstairs. Our immediate reaction was to expect a basement room and it was going to serve us right for making a discounted booking. However, pleasantly surprised when entering the room which despite the lower level had good daylight, due to the buildings design/positioning.

Encountered both efficient check-in and out the bill being correct. (Sadly I find it increasingly common these days that it isn’t – both annoying and time consuming).

The room was very clean and well presented and of decent size. All staff we encountered were friendly, efficient and courteous. Both the restaurants ambiance and the meal were very good. Would we stay here again? Definitely!