The Fairfax Arms

8/10

Excellent

20 Feb 2026

lee

Room was clean and nice bed. Pressure on the shower was good an food nice

Self

10/10

Exceptional

15 Feb 2026

Paul

Stay there every time we are in the area, welcome stay. Love the place, good food.

Partner

10/10

Exceptional

26 Jan 2026

Blair

I travel for work and I'll definitely book for here again. Staff friendly, great atmosphere, clean room, bed was too soft for me but I slept well, overall a great wee place

Business

10/10

Exceptional

25 Oct 2025

Chris

Good value for money, friendly, welcoming. Highly recommended

Partner

10/10

Exceptional

13 Jul 2025

A

Lovely break away

Cashed in some one key points for night away . Took the scenic route from Gateshead and visited Richmond , Aysgarth Falls , Grassington and Thirsk on the way .
Had a couple of beers in the beer garden , freshened up then a gorgeous meal in the orangery.
So glad we had booked as they were turning people away !
The staff were excellent- friendly , courteous and attentive.
Lovely relaxing night away , helped by the English heatwave .

Partner

10/10

Exceptional

25 Mar 2025

Elaine

1 night break

Very nice place to stay. Food excellent and all staff very helpful

Partner

10/10

Exceptional

18 Feb 2025

Verified traveler

Super comfy inn- highly recommend.

Welcoming, super comfy room, fantastic food. Great family room. Would definitely recommend staying at the Fairfax inn.

8/10

Excellent

05 Jan 2025

Paul

Somewhere I keep going back to

Been here 3/4 times, and looking forward to next stay. Food is really good. Service is excellent. Only issue this time was someone clearly had too much to drink in the village and people were shouting in the early hours of the morning. This woke me and i struggled to get back to sleep, but nothing to do with the inn.

Partner

6/10

Pleasant

05 Dec 2024

Yvonne

Shame about the heating.

This was a second visit to this hotel for us. As we were meeting friends to celebrate early Christmas at Castle Howard. The hotel is well located, with an excellent chef and food menu. The staff are all helpful and friendly. The rooms are a reasonable size, with good ensuite facilities, and comfortable bed. However both our rooms suffered with heating problems, one with a cold radiator and the other with a leaky and cold radiator and we were advised to use the plug in radiators provided but not till after we had queried the situation. Our friends had to ask to move rooms due to the leak. This was all done easily but it was a disappointment to us that it appeared to be a known problem and we'd still been given these rooms. Such a shame when it is a lovely old inn in a beautiful village setting.

Friends_and_family Friends

10/10

Exceptional

25 Oct 2024

James

Lovely pub, room and food

Gorgeous little pub in the heart of North Yorkshire. Lovely room, great dinner and perfect breakfast. Would highly recommend

Friends_and_family Family

8/10

Excellent

23 Sep 2024

Phil

Comfortable bed Good breakfast
Disappointed that they didn’t do dinner on a Sunday evening

Partner

10/10

Exceptional

16 Aug 2024

Lisa

This hotel was perfect for our trip to Ampleforth. The room was perfect and the staff were amazing. We had a wonderful evening meal in the restaurant and the bar area is very pleasant with many friendly locals. The breakfast was to dye for. Thank you so much for a wonderful stay

Leisure Partner

10/10

Exceptional

09 Aug 2024

Matt

One night break with dog

Very nice room with jacuzzi bath, room allowed dogs and easy external access.
Food was excellent- both dinner and breakfast. Good atmosphere in the bar

Partner

6/10

Pleasant

29 Jul 2024

Wayne

Staff very good dilapidated state of the en-suite
Toilet not cleaned out after outgoing occupant
Beds not made up everyday and no clean glasses left out
Certainly not recommended

Business_and_leisure Partner

10/10

Exceptional

13 Jul 2024

CATHERINE

Delicious food. Beautiful orangery. Great outdoor seating area. Friendly, helpful stiff. Big bed, clean room.

Leisure Partner

10/10

Exceptional

27 Jun 2024

Joyce

From first sight of this very pretty hotel with its beautiful hanging baskets and very attractive outside terrace to the very warm welcome and check in I knew we’d made a good choice. Such a peaceful location, very nicely appointed bedrooms, great menu choice in the evening and at breakfast - all was very very good. Of course a hotel cannot be successful simply by nature of its nicely appointed public areas - it needs great staff - and everyone we met during our two night stay was without exception a credit to the business. We hope to return soon.

Leisure Partner

8/10

Excellent

19 May 2024

Eugene

Very nice srat

Room was really good and comfortable. Overlooked car park. Excellent bath/shower room. Didnt have evening meal as hotel had hen or stag party booked in. Also as I have limited appetite choice was restricted. Overall would certainly recommend staying here also dog friendly so daughters family could bring their dog and all atebrsakfast together

Friends_and_family Family

10/10

Exceptional

30 Apr 2024

Martin

Excellent property near Helmsley

Leisure Family

10/10

Exceptional

05 Apr 2024

Paul

Absolutely excellent

Second time we've stayed and can't wait to go back. The food here is delicious. I cannot recommend it enough. We stayed in the superior suite again and it was delightful. Such a comfy bed to.sleep onand just a lovely stay in general. Staff were excellent and extremely friendly. Location is lovely and very quiet, but worth the journey. You need to stay here and eat here

Partner

10/10

Exceptional

01 Apr 2024

AE

Comfortable bed
Good choice of breakfast
Tasty breakfast
Enjoyed the chocolates

Partner

10/10

Exceptional

24 Mar 2024

Joseph

very good.

Partner

10/10

Exceptional

06 Mar 2024

Sara

Situated in a picture postcard location the Inn provides comfortable rooms and very good food. All staff were very helpful and pleasant.

10/10

Exceptional

18 Feb 2024

Andrew

Fabulous Stay

Staff very friendly and accommodating. Lovely room and comfortable sleep. Nice little touches like the welcome chocolates.
Love the decor throughout.
Evening meal and breakfast were both fabulous. Service was excellent.

Partner

10/10

Exceptional

04 Feb 2024

Ronald

Stopped for an overnight whilst visiting Castle Howard and York. Would stay again but not in the room we had (#12) as the access isn’t the best - I’m 6’ 3” and the entrance door is only about 5’ 2”. In fairness there’s no way of making it taller without extensive rework of the roof and there isn’t a headroom concern once inside the room that was lovely.
The food, both in the evening and at breakfast, was excellent.
Very nice complimentary chocolates in the room too.

Leisure Partner

10/10

Exceptional

09 Dec 2023

Amy

Annual Church trip

Staff as always brilliant, so attentive! Returant, bar and room clean and comfortable. We absolutely love a trip here! Highly recommend. Food fantastic too!

Friends_and_family Family

6/10

Pleasant

20 Aug 2023

Justin

It’s nice

Very friendly staff, and set in a beautiful location.

Perhaps we had high expectations, but for the price we were a little disappointed.

Room 11 (a suite with a whirlpool bath) wasn’t immaculate, and it came with a few niggles. It was difficult to lock the door and there was no Sky TV as advertised - although there was no Sky remote, perhaps that was the reason.

We had to ask for ironing facilities (and the plug to the iron was literally falling apart).

And the shower didn’t work. To be fair, we didn’t mention the shower until we checked out the following morning due to timings. It felt like the pump had failed - I’m sure they could have fixed it had we noticed before we started getting ready to go out for the evening. It was our choice not to report it when we were getting ready because, well, we were getting ready :-)

Breakfast was OK, but again not quite what we had hoped for.

The saving grace, as others have mentioned, is that the bed was very comfortable and that the staff are lovely.

Partner

10/10

Exceptional

22 Jul 2023

jonathan jay

A lovely old rural pub & guesthouse with friendly staff & comfortable rooms & good amenities with a tasty little box of welcoming chocolates. The pub offered a lovely menu of home cooked food (recommend the pie) & served a nice breakfast as well. An enjoyable stay all round.

Leisure Self

8/10

Excellent

05 Jun 2023

robert

The owners were really terrific. Very helpful with all sorts of questions.

Partner

10/10

Exceptional

28 Apr 2023

Brian

Stunning dining room!
A delightful experience all round.

Leisure Partner

8/10

Excellent

28 Mar 2023

Kenneth

Quite location, very helpful staff, clean and newly refurbished rooms. Just a little noise from room upstairs.

Self

10/10

Exceptional

27 Nov 2022

colin

nice room and nothing was to much trouble

Leisure Partner

10/10

Exceptional

11 Nov 2022

Joe

Another Night Away

Very Friendly Staff. Good Food and Beer

Business

10/10

Exceptional

25 Oct 2022

EVELYN

Very clean, comfortable. Great Food. Friendly staff. All you could hope for in a weekend break.

Partner

2/10

Poor

22 Sep 2022

Robert

The worst nightmare imaginable. I am allergic to dogs and other animals.
I had a very unpleasant night – I believe a dog had stayed in that room.
When we arrived we couldn’t find a parking space in the Fairfax’s car park.
Private residents have placed traffic cones outside of their houses on the street opposite.
– it looks like some form of dispute is in ongoing. I did not want to leave my car overnight on the street in case my tyres were let down or bodywork was scratched.
Room no 4 is directly above a “smoker’s den” and as the windows were open the room was stinking of smoke.
On departing a member of staff was insistent that I had not paid the bill. To avoid embarrassment I paid £120. So I had paid twice.

Leisure Partner

10/10

Exceptional

22 Aug 2022

Verified traveler

First review I've ever given!

Loved this place: I never give reviews but wanted to after the excellent service, comfortable bed, fantastic food. Would definitely stay again.

Business

10/10

Exceptional

12 Jul 2022

Christopher

Great stay in a super place.

A first rate experience. Great attention to detail, quality food and service. Very relaxing place to stay in lovely countryside.

Partner

6/10

Pleasant

07 Feb 2022

Verified traveler

Mostly clean and well appointed, the cozy decorative theme extends from the pub across the yard into the ex stables, which have been turned into comfortable accommodation.
Negatives:
Despite thermostat in room being set to 23*C, the boiler is timed to go off at night, and by 3 am the room temp dropped to 18*. The duvet was quite thin, resulting in uncomfortably chilly night.
Bathroom has a large tub with high border and no walk-in shower, which would be impossible to use for people with restricted mobility.
The glasses were set upside-down on each bedside table (not on a paper napkin), and when I poured still water into my glass the bubbly slimy water tasted sweet (?unwashed from previous occupant).
The wifi was unreliable (satellite TV reception also jumpy), you could not work from there.
The breakfast was ok, bacon a bit tough, fried bread greasy. No hot drinks in the morning besides tea and filtered coffee (no espresso/cappuccino in a hotel?).
Positives:
Several energetic young members of staff serving up drinks and meals in the pub and continually asking if everything was ok. Lovely atmosphere with real fires. Very abundant portions (even too much).

Friends_and_family Family

10/10

Exceptional

30 Dec 2021

Donna

Short break away

Love this place, traditional, cosy rooms, amazing breakfast and evening meal.

Partner

6/10

Pleasant

18 Dec 2021

Malcolm

Hotel was good apart from the food menu, which was limited and there where items on it that were unavailable

Friends_and_family Friends

10/10

Exceptional

26 Oct 2021

Maureen

What can we say brilliant stay with Grandchildren( and our dog Molly) food as always excellent nothing too much trouble only problem is have to go to the gym to work off excess calories ! Breakfast esp is excellent and staff friendly and helpful its our forth visit to the Fairfax arms over the ;past 8-10 years and too long since our last stay wont make that mistake again ! Plus it really dog friendly

Leisure Family_with_children

10/10

Exceptional

23 Sep 2021

Verified traveler

Fantastic stay

The hotel staff were incredibly friendly, they welcomed us on arrival, checked us in early, brought room service in the evening and were very attentive during breakfast. The room was lovely and clean, with a very comfortable bed, fantastic jacuzzi bath (although the water did seem to drain through the plug a bit -room 11). Would highly recommend staying here (and eating!)

Partner

10/10

Exceptional

02 Sep 2021

Trevor

Lovely location. The fair fax arms was a lovely pub with amazing food. Staff were amazing! The breakfast is to dye for. Nothing was too much trouble. The only issue was we couid hear people in the bar whilst in our room so we stayed up later. We would proberly choose a room across the car park. Cant wait to come and stay again.

Friends_and_family Family

10/10

Exceptional

27 Aug 2021

Karen

Highly recommended

The hospitality from the managers and staff at this pub was excellent. Everyone was very friendly and helpful. The food was exceptional and we dined here all 3 nights of our stay. Breakfast too was very good with plenty of choice. We would definitely go back.

Partner

10/10

Exceptional

23 Aug 2021

Julie

Faultless

We stayed for one night while attending a concert at nearby Castle Howard and wished we could stay longer.
What a marvelous place to stay!!! Everything from staff efficiency, to ambiance, to cleanliness, was faultless and, as for the super breakfast, well again, faultless!!!!

Partner

10/10

Exceptional

23 Aug 2021

Richard

2 night stay

Friendly & helpful staff, breakfast room and breakfast was excellent

Friends_and_family Friends

10/10

Exceptional

22 Aug 2021

Emily

Excellent stay

Friendly staff, excellent rooms and very clean. Breakfast was fantastic.

Friends_and_family Family

10/10

Exceptional

21 Aug 2021

Verified traveler

The owners had obviously put thought ingo everything, but free water fizzy and still and free biscuits are always a telltale!

Leisure Family

8/10

Excellent

31 Jul 2021

Verified traveler

OK, but not worth £147 per night!

Overall good. Comfortable bed and very clean. However, parking was very tight and not many spaces. The TV didn’t have any sound. Breakfast was delicious.

Partner

10/10

Exceptional

13 Jul 2021

david

Wonderful stay in an old style in with old style hospitality great food and the two best breakfasts

Partner

10/10

Exceptional

12 Jul 2021

Anneli

Amazing stay! Staff super friendly and helpful. Food was fabulous. Had a wonderful time!

Partner

10/10

Exceptional

04 Jun 2021

Elizabeth

Warm welcome

Warm welcome and a wonderful location. Room was very comfy with all amenities you need. Extra measures in place to make you feel safe that does include stripping of the bed yourself but anything at the moment to support one another as we all get used to reopening! Breakfast was super and would highly recommend a stay here if in the area.

Partner

10/10

Exceptional

20 Dec 2020

Matt

Grey ore xmas stay

Fantastic service from hosts. Excellent breakfast and dinner. Family rooms in courtyard with two bedrooms and flexibility to bring the dog. Nice village and lots of walks from the Fairfax

Friends_and_family Family

10/10

Exceptional

24 Sep 2020

Katie

It was a fantastic room very cosy and a very warm friendly welcome

Leisure

10/10

Exceptional

22 Sep 2020

David

Great place to stay.

Exceedingly clean and comfortable with a great bar and restaurant. The breakfast was to die for. Brilliant. Staff very helpful and friendly.

Partner

6/10

Pleasant

14 Sep 2020

Nigel

Superb food. Excellent breakfast. Disappointed with room and was not serviced during 2 night stay. Great location and nice staff.

Leisure

10/10

Exceptional

07 Sep 2020

Russell

Great nights stay for a getaway treat. Can't fault anything, lovely staff, nice food, fab breakfast that set us up for a days walking in the beautiful surrounding area.

Partner

10/10

Exceptional

29 Aug 2020

Jan

Lovely staff

We got to the hotel and just checked in so saw the rooms which were lovely. Then unfortunately got called back home due to emergency and had to leave. They very kindly immediately just cancelled the booking and didn’t charge us. Which was really good of them and much appreciated

Friends_and_family Family

10/10

Exceptional

26 Aug 2020

Sam

Lovely place, great food, attentive and friendly staff. We stayed in room 10 which is the family room with connecting twin with two single beds. My only suggestion would be that they get a blind for the vulux window in that room as my children struggled to get to sleep with it being so light and were up very early the following morning.

Leisure Family_with_children

10/10

Exceptional

18 Aug 2020

Nick

Great room, fantastic food, excellent staff. 5 stars perfect.

Partner

6/10

Pleasant

08 Aug 2020

IanR

Was ok overall.
Room over priced at £160 b&b.
Food good, evening and breakfast, nice bar and orangery areas, plus lots of space outside.
Odd all tables outside had reserved on for later food, why not add a time reserved from to allow other people to use?.
Noisy courtyard with warm weather to have the windows open.
Don’t think I’d stay again at that price.

Leisure Partner

8/10

Excellent

12 Feb 2020

David

Warm and welcoming,food good ,bedrooms/bathrooms clean

Leisure

10/10

Exceptional

31 Dec 2019

Verified traveler

So very friendly and helpful .
Area with pretty village and walks

Leisure Partner

10/10

Exceptional

11 Nov 2019

Gill

Will come again to this very well and run pub.

It was a wholly fabulous nights stay, the seafood I had was amazing and my husbands meal equally so.
The service was perfect and our room cosy and comfortable.

Partner

10/10

Exceptional

15 Sep 2019

Verified traveler

Wonderful country pub with rooms and amazing menu of local cuisine, what's not to like

Leisure Partner

10/10

Exceptional

09 Sep 2019

Julie

Absolutely beautiful hotel, the staff were friendly, the food & drinks excellent, will definitely return & recommend to others.

Partner

10/10

Exceptional

25 Aug 2019

Verified traveler

Beautiful position in rural village . Excellent food and very warm welcome by ALL the staff .

Leisure Partner

8/10

Excellent

15 Jul 2019

Verified traveler

Beautiful location! Lovely en-suite rooms with nice touches like shower cap/vanity packs, biscuits etc. Stunning restaurant and patio areas. Great breakfast too! Superb value for money!
Our only negative was the shower was just a drip with very low pressure so next to useless but I’m guessing that was just a one off.

Leisure Partner

8/10

Excellent

01 Jul 2019

Verified traveler

Nice peaceful location, suite booked very nice also food good and staff very friendly

Leisure Partner

10/10

Exceptional

02 Jun 2019

Graham

Great service, good food. James was a wonderful host.

Partner

10/10

Exceptional

15 Apr 2019

Verified traveler

We had a great stay! The hotel and pub was lovely and the staff were exceptionally friendly and very helpful. I would highly recommend staying here!

Leisure Partner

8/10

Excellent

18 Feb 2019

Verified traveler

Friendly inn set in quiet village .easy parking , comfy bed .
The staff were friendly and efficient .
Pleasant room if on the small side .
Lovely room serving good breakfast with lots of choice .

Leisure Partner

4/10

Poor

30 Dec 2018

Martin

Lovely place but cold outside room

The room was cold

Partner

10/10

Exceptional

22 Oct 2018

Graham

Fantastic Fairfax Arms

Fantastic service, great food and beautiful setting.
Would recommend and will certainly be back.

Bed was a bit soft for our liking, but all in all a perfect weekend away.

Partner

10/10

Exceptional

11 Oct 2018

Pat

Perfect place to stay

Fantastic one night stay, not the first and it wont be the last - Everything was perfect

Partner

10/10

Exceptional

07 Sep 2018

Daniel