Places to Stay With a Restaurant in Northamptonshire

What's on offer

BritStays lists 18 places to stay in Northamptonshire that have a restaurant on site. Sixteen are hotels and two are camping stays, so most of what you'll find is straightforward hotel accommodation where you can eat without leaving the building. That's useful after a long drive, a late arrival or a full day out, when finding somewhere to eat is the last thing you want to do.

Beyond the restaurant, the facilities that come up most often are:

• Disabled access: 15 of the 18
• Parking: 14
• WiFi: 14
• Pet friendly: 11
• A bar: 9
• Near a train station: 8
• Takeaway food: 7

Accessibility and parking are well covered. Dog owners also have plenty of choice. If you want a bar as well as a restaurant, though, you'll need to look a little harder.

Where to base yourself

These listings won't give you a seaside break. They are mainly hotels in and around towns, with a couple of camping options. Northampton and Milton Keynes have the most, with six each. Kettering has two, two more are listed simply as Northamptonshire, and there's one each in Sibbertoft and Towcester.

Northampton is the obvious choice if you want options. Travelodge Northampton Central, Travelodge Northampton Wooton and Travelodge Northampton Round Spinney all list a restaurant, disabled access and a pet-friendly policy. Travelodge Northampton Upton Way adds takeaway food. For something with more going on, Sedgebrook Hall has a swimming pool, gym and bar, and The Crossroads Hotel pairs its restaurant with a bar.

Milton Keynes suits practical, no-fuss stays. Travelodge Milton Keynes Central, Travelodge Milton Keynes at The Hub and Travelodge Milton Keynes Old Stratford all list a restaurant, takeaway food and disabled access.

For a quieter, more rural feel, Brook Meadow in Sibbertoft combines a restaurant with a swimming pool and spa. In Towcester, The Saracen's Head has a bar and restaurant with disabled access.

Kettering has two very different options. Travel Plaza offers a bar, restaurant and disabled access. Kettering Park Hotel is more of a leisure stay, with a swimming pool, gym and spa.

Matching a stay to your trip

Families: A pool makes a real difference with children. Kettering Park Hotel, Sedgebrook Hall and Brook Meadow all list one. Gulliver's Land, a theme park, is the headline day out for younger visitors.

Couples: If you want to unwind, look for a spa. Kettering Park Hotel and Brook Meadow both have one. For an evening drink after dinner, The Saracen's Head, The Crossroads Hotel and Villiers Hotel each list a bar alongside their restaurant.

Dog owners: Eleven of the 18 stays are pet friendly, including the three Northampton Travelodges named above. It's worth asking whether dogs are allowed in the restaurant itself or only in bedrooms. Policies on eating areas often differ from those on rooms.

Travelling without a car: Eight stays are near a train station. Check this on each listing, as it isn't true of every hotel here.

What to do once you're there

Northamptonshire has a good spread of heritage visits:

• Castle Ashby House and Canons Ashby House, the latter run by the National Trust
• Triangular Lodge, an unusual building that rewards a short visit
• Bury Mount, for history lovers
• Captain Cook's Monument, another National Trust site
• The Canal Museum, a good rainy-day option

If you're happy to cross into neighbouring counties, there's more to choose from:

• Oak Farm Animal Park and Buckinghamshire County Museum in Buckinghamshire
• Rushden Hall and Museum and Moot Hall in Bedfordshire
• Rutland Falconry & Owl Centre in Rutland
• Foxton Inclined Plane Trust Museum in Leicestershire
• The Wave, a water park in Warwickshire

Plan your route before you set off, so you can tell which are easy add-ons from your base and which need a full day.

Booking sensibly

Having a restaurant listed doesn't tell you when it's open or what it serves. Hotel restaurants can keep limited hours, close on certain days or focus on breakfast. Before you book, check:

• Whether evening meals are served on the nights you're staying
• Whether you need to reserve a table, especially at weekends
• Whether the restaurant can handle dietary needs, if anyone in your group has them

If you'll be arriving late, one of the seven stays with takeaway food gives you a fallback when the kitchen has closed.

With only 18 stays across the county, and just one each in Sibbertoft and Towcester, the more distinctive options have little back-up nearby. If Brook Meadow, The Saracen's Head or Kettering Park Hotel is what you want, book early, particularly for school holidays or weekends.

The larger clusters in Northampton and Milton Keynes give you more room to book later. Even so, booking ahead is wise if you need an accessible room or want to bring a dog, because those rooms can be limited.

Finally, confirm parking when you book. Fourteen of the 18 stays list it, so a handful don't, and it's better to find out before you arrive.