Address: The Mount, York YO24 1GU.
Telephone: 01904 628856.
Email: reservations@ mountroyale.co.uk.
Website: mountroyale.co.uk

Initial impressions: Just like my Auntie Audrey's. A collection of items that were never intended to go together gather around the entrance to this large house, then work their way through into the labyrinth of lounges - Chinese screens, stuffed birds of prey, copper kettles, china buddhas ... World culture meets Essex. Somehow, it works.

What are the rooms like? As stuffed as the rest of the hotel, so tread carefully otherwise you'll dislodge an antique lamp or hand-painted plate on a stand. Many look out over the lovely garden, which has - surprise, surprise - a gazebo, wishing well, wrought-iron furniture, many statues, outdoor pool ...

The bed test: Lots of lovely fresh linen. They're deep and large - in fact, they're the largest free space in the hotel. The bathroom test: Oh, the lack of clutter! The white-washed walls unembellished by a single painting. The straight, clean lines of the sink and toilet pan.

The restaurant: Oxo's is well-known by the good people of York. Every meal begins with a whole bulb of roasted garlic cloves and gets better and better. French influenced, it's hotel cooking as it should be, a little adventurous but not too threatening. Plenty of fresh fish and the best crème brulée I've had.

The bar: Leathery and small but perfectly formed, with photos of the previous imbibers - Paul Daniels, Bruce Forsyth, Twiggy, George Cole . . . Has no one visited the place since the 80s?

How much? From £85 (single) to £140 (suite).