Inside new look hotel and wedding venue The Croft near Darlington after £2million transformation

Set on the banks of the Tees, The Croft has been welcoming weary travellers for centuries, with a history that dates all the way back to the early 1800s to its days as a spa hotel.

Its location on the border of North Yorkshire and County Durham, just south of Darlington, making it a pretty pit stop and a destination in its own right.

Now, the Grade-II listed building has entered a new chapter after being taken over by North East hospitality group The Apartment Group.

As part of the rich heritage of this charming corner of the Tees Valley, celebrated author Lewis Carroll once lived in the village, during his father's tenure at the parish church that neighbours The Croft - and its new look is certainly something to write home about.

I last visited the hotel five years ago when it looked, to be blunt, a little tired, but the new owners, whose portfolio includes venues such as Newton Hall and Le Petit Chateau in Northumberland and Runa Farm in Barnard Castle, have really put their stamp on it.

Here's a rundown of what to expect from the new look Croft:

Rooms

There's 24 rooms in total at the hotel, including ground floor options, with one pet-friendly room.

The upstairs rooms will be upgraded in the coming months as part of a £2m investment by The Apartment Group, but the downstairs rooms as well as the Honeymoon Suite are now complete.

We stayed in the large suite on the ground floor, part of The Garden Villa, which can be booked as individual double rooms, with four in total, or as a whole for wedding parties and other large groups, sleeping up to eight people, with our room often used by brides to get ready for the big day.

The suite oozed glamour with a huge Art Deco chandelier spotlighting a semi-circular yellow velvet sofa complete with tassels that had a touch of the Great Gatsby about it.

Original exposed brick walls blend with more modern art works and smart TVs in the bedroom and living area, with a stylish make-up station and main table for drinks.

There's a large living area, heritage green shower room and double bedroom in the suite, as well as access to a private terrace with a hot tub. We didn't take a dip - it was chilly and they'd forgotten to put robes in our rooms - but great for lighter nights.

It's a glamourous aesthetic that flows into the main reception areas (the restaurant will follow suit soon) with roaring fires, eclectic artworks, hints of Scandi in the booths decked in furs and chairs ranging from retro '70s tan leather to Ibiza chic embellishments.

Weddings

Weddings are a key part of The Apartment Group offering and additions at this new venue to the group include the enchanting Secret Garden Chapel.

With an altar framed by a cascading willow tree, an illuminated aisle with a hint of catwalk about it, flanked by foliage, handsome elaborate antique doors and walls made to look like a stately home, it's a stylish renovation that doesn't detract from the original period features of the property - and it screams romance.

There's been real attention to detail in the lighting too, which drenches the room in ambient light, making for the all important statement photos. It certainly makes an impression.

This wing of the building also includes the Garden Suite, a beautiful banqueting space bedecked in florals and a pretty pastel colour palette which leads to a private terrace with fire pits.

Food and drink

You can just visit the hotel for food and drinks, which is served in the on site restaurant and in the bar area.

We ate from the evening a la carte menu, which offers a broad range of sharing platters, small plates, burgers, grill dishes and hearty mains such as pie of the day, slow cooked lamb ragu and beer battered North Sea cod.

Prices range from £6.50 for a starter to £33.95 for a mixed grill, with most mains coming in around the £17 mark.

Feeling indecisive, we chose from the small plates and had a 'picky tea' of baked camembert (£14.50), Farmhouse sharing platter (£19.95) and sauteed tiger prawns (£12.50).

The camembert could have done with being baked for longer for more gooeyness, but we devoured it nonetheless.

The platter, meanwhile, was good value with a selection of cured meats, chorizo, piccalilli, pork pie, pickled slaw and plenty of focaccia.

We'd gone for simple dishes which didn't require much cooking, but the prawns were good quality and given an extra depth of flavour with a cherry tomato salsa and lemon aioli.

Food is served from breakfast through to lunch and evening meals seven days a week, including Sunday lunch.

Prices and facilities

A stay at the suite in the Garden Villa, the largest of the four in that wing, is £350, with rooms elsewhere in the hotel priced from £99 for bed and breakfast. The latter includes a continental buffet as well as a cooked breakfast menu, including breakfast stotties and breakfast hash.

The hotel is on Northallerton Road, Darlington, DL2 2ST, with a large car park at the rear.

More information at www.croft-hotel.com