***This hotel is now called The Milner York. We visited while it was still The Principal. Still dog-friendly however some details will have changed.
When you think of city breaks in a luxury hotel, some people would say you’d have to leave the dogs at home! Well The Milner York situated just a short walk away from York Minster would beg to differ. As we were soon to find out after being invited there on a complimentary stay to experience their dog-friendly package.
Previously named the Royal York and built in 1878, The Principal is referred to as the Grande-dame of York and sits just steps away from York train station. In 2016 the hotel underwent a huge refurbishment to restore it to its original splendour.
Stepping through the main entrance and into the bright and airy reception area, you are immediately met with smiling, welcoming faces and this continues throughout the hotel. Staff go out of their way to speak to you, making sure you’re enjoying your stay and checking you’ve got everything you need. Everyone was extremely friendly. The ground floor, with its splendid décor and well thought out communal area was my favourite part of the hotel! It was lovely to enjoy a drink and a chat on the comfortable chairs while admiring the Victorian features relating to the hotel’s past.
The feature that really takes your breath away, making a long lasting impression, is the sweeping cast iron staircase that leads up to the 155 elegant bedrooms and suites.
Minster view suite
The Victorian feel continues into the suites which are large and spacious with listed interior. We stayed in one of their Minster view suites, I’m sure you would agree, they have the most amazing views of York Minster from the windows. Our King bed suite consisted of a wonderful separate living area complete with: T.V, tea and coffee facilities, fridge with complimentary sparkling water and a laptop safe. The rooms come with a very thoughtful tuck box full of delicious goodies. (We especially enjoyed the coffee from ‘The Little Coffee Bag Co.’)
Joined on to the living area is the bedroom and en-suite, again equipped with everything you need including hairdryer, iron/ironing board, wardrobe with hangers and a flat screen T.V. We had the best night’s sleep in the huge, comfortable king-size bed. In the stylish en-suite you are greeted with a rainfall shower along with a second combo shower – perfect if you don’t want to get your hair wet! To compliment the luxury experience you’re provided with ‘Antipodes skincare’ shampoo, conditioner and hand & body wash. Step out of the shower smelling of delicious blackcurrant and slip into a cosy dressing gown and slippers, they really do think of everything!
We received a very thoughtful welcome gift. A basket full of York themed goodies.
The Pooch Package
So let’s get onto the real reason why I’m writing this review, the dog-friendly part. This is where we were really blown away.
Like I said in the beginning, who’d have thought you could spend an evening away in such luxury and bring your dog, or two in our case! From the moment we arrived the staff could not have been more friendly to Willow and Bobby. Giving them strokes and cuddles at every given opportunity. Much to their delight, in our room, they received a bed and bowl along with treats, a toy and poo bags each. The gardens are available for the dogs to use too and as responsible dog owners we made sure we cleaned up after them; you’ll find plenty of bins located around the car park. We also kept them both on leads as there were geese in the grounds and we even spotted a fox in the evening.
The dog-friendly experience didn’t end there. You, along with the dogs, can dine in the very beautiful and relaxed lounge area, The Garden Room. As the name suggests it looks out over the beautifully neat garden. The atmosphere in this room was very relaxing, with beautiful music playing in the background. There was plenty of space around the tables for Willow and Bobby to lie down while we ate.
From our window seat in The Garden Room, we chose from The Refectory menu for our evening meal. Willow and Bobby were provided with a bowl of water of course, and we ordered starters of soup of the day and a Caesar salad, followed by Picanha rump steak accompanied by peppercorn sauce with Lamb rump, pressed lamb shoulder with potato terrine, wild mushrooms and parsnip purée.
The next morning we returned to The Garden Room for breakfast and even the rain couldn’t dampen our mood! We ate a full English breakfast and drank our tea and coffee while admiring the garden and York Minster towering above the trees.
Our experience of staying at The Principal York with Willow and Bobby felt very special and this is all down to the welcoming atmosphere. To think we can actually include our furry family members in a city break and stay in a luxury hotel is wonderful, I mean we all deserve a treat don’t we? Even the dogs!
What else you may need to know……
Guests can take advantage of the leisure facilities the hotel offers. My husband took himself off for a refreshing swim in the heated indoor pool and jacuzzi which he enjoyed. Other facilities include a gym, sauna and steam room.
It’s also good to know that they also offer an in-room dining menu that can be delivered direct to your room any time, day or night.
There is a car park for guests’ use, charged at £15 for 24 hours which is managed by an external company.
Room rates and packages on offer including the Pooch Package can be found on their website The Milner York
**Although our stay was a complimentary stay for a review, all the photographs and opinions are all my own.
Spaniels By The Sea 
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