{"id":22510,"date":"2021-08-09T09:59:09","date_gmt":"2021-08-09T08:59:09","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/yorkonafork.com\/?p=22510"},"modified":"2021-08-09T09:59:11","modified_gmt":"2021-08-09T08:59:11","slug":"the-principal-hotel","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/yorkonafork.com\/2021\/08\/09\/the-principal-hotel\/","title":{"rendered":"The Principal Hotel"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

York has many hotels and seems to sprout more and more on an almost daily basis. From funky new entrants such as Moxy<\/a> to luxury with history thrown in at Grays Court<\/a> there really is something to appeal to everyone. One of the oldest players is The Principal Hotel, attached to York train station and for many years known as The Royal York but now with a new identity as The Principal<\/a> after an extensive refurbishment a half decade or so ago. Truth be told, before that refurbishment, it was showing its age in all the wrong ways as I found using it as a venue for requirements gathering workshops that were rather inappropriately next door to wedding parties as I recall. Thankfully the refurbishment was a resounding success and this hotel makes just the right impression on arrival these days, so an invite to experience it for myself was snapped up, all the more so when I realised it would be our first opportunity to enjoy a night in a hotel while Baby Fork remained in the care of others!<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Giddy with excitement at a childfree night, we started our visit with a minor detour to The York Tap<\/a> which stepped up by delivering a steam train arrival to backdrop our drink. From there it’s just a short stumble into the (revolving) back door of The Principal Hotel, but we took a few more steps to enjoy the striking frontage before checking in. Dating back to 1878 and subsequently expanded, The Principal sits in beautiful and surprisingly expansive grounds which are currently home to Thor’s Tipi offering a more casual drinking and dining experience than the hotel itself and its restaurant The Refectory. As I alluded to previously, the interior of the hotel is really quite striking now with a suitably opulent feel and lots of comfortable corners from which to take in its splendour. Reception of course has the now-normal smattering of plastic screens but that didn’t stop check-in being a quick and painless affair and we were relaxing in our room in no time.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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All the details you’d expect in a prestigious establishment such as this were ticked off, with all the tea making facilities, hairdryers and smart TV you could reasonably desire along with a Dyson fan for a little tech accent to the decor that wasn’t necessary despite the heatwave. Furnishings were plush with plentiful cushions that I fashioned into a comfy bench seat on which to read in a panelled alcove and the room was a perfect refuge from which to be occasionally anxious at leaving our child in someone else’s overnight care for the first time.<\/p>\n\n\n\n