Review of La Rosa Hotel, Whitby

> For contact details, availability and booking, see greentraveller's full listing of La Rosa

The Rooms
This house was once the hangout of one of Whitby’s most famous residents, Lewis Carroll. Each room tells a story, with theatrical style and effect. The Lewis Room itself has an antique brass bed, covered with layers of black and gold eiderdowns, and two large picture windows overlooking Whitby Bay. Whitbyprovides the ideal dramatic setting for La Rosa’s sense of theatre. With perfect props, the room also has an old writing desk, stack of battered suitcases, telescope, game of solitaire, and a display cabinet full of Carroll’s own possessions. For romantic runaways, the Sacre Coeur room sets the scene for seduction, but with enough religious relics to remind you not to overstep the mark.  All the bathrooms have Wonderland chess-set black and white tiled floors, Victorian roll-top baths and mirrors galore. There’s no shower but then this is not a ‘get-in, get-out’ sort of bathroom. Warm and rich in décor, I luxuriated and lingered in natural rose and lavender bubbles for as long as I could. There are eight rooms altogether and a Crow’s Nest apartment which sleeps six.

The Food
B&B only, breakfast is delivered in a hamper to your room, with the most delightful collection of treats. Nuts, honey and yoghurt, served in a china cup, a cheeseplate, orange slices, and pink candystripe bags full of grapes, a hard boiled egg and fresh bread rolls. Quirky and classy. There is also a tea room, where the main tea on the menu is, of course, Mad Hatter’s Tea.

The activities
Discover this magnificent coastline by bike, following the Whitby to Scarborough Railtrail, on disused railway. Details and bike hire from www.trailways.info. Or head inland with the historic North York Moors Railway, an 18 mile steam railway journey across the North York Moors

The Green
Everything here is second hand, lovingly sourced in charity shops, boot sales etc. Toiletries are all hand-made using quality natural ingredients.  But their green policy says it best of all; “We buy second hand, make do and mend, more Wombles than eco warriors, more Steptoe than Selfridges”. This hotel is also an asset to Whitby’s tourism infrastructure, by publicising the fact that this fun town is not about coach tours anymore. It is funky, fishy and fun. 

The Journey
Most trains to Whitby go via Middlesbrough with East Coast Railway. Singles from £17.50. Another way to get the train to Whitby is to make your way to Pickering, then take the steam train service across the North Yorkshire Moors to Grosmont, where you must change trains and travel the last 10 miles into the centre of the town. Steam train services are limited, so check North Yorkshire Moors Railway for details. 

Top Tips
Go for La Rosa’s clever Town Mouse Country Mouse Package, where you spend one night at their campsite and a night in the hotel, for £60 per head based on two sharing. Town Mice shouldn’t miss the foods treats on the menu at Whitby’s Greens Bistro, especially the Whitby smoked haddock. 

The Verdict
When you walk in here, you feel as if you are being welcomed into the  arms of a perfect mother bearing one big story book, full of surprises and delight. More music hall than opera La Rosa will, however, make your heart sing with the joy which has been instilled at every stage of its design process, and which still lives on in its unfussy, warm hospitality. Hire the whole place for your birthday party – it’s the perfect place to enjoy your moment centre stage. (There are a lot of stairs, so not suitable for wheelchair users.)

 For contact details, availability and booking, see greentraveller's full listing of La Rosa