What a lovely visit around the castle. Fell on a day when we could freely tour round. It's a stunning castle. Especially liked the wonky stairs and the hall is interesting and beautiful. Well worth the entrance fee.

We were delighted at the opportunity to stay in a castle. The staff was very friendly, and helpful, even after check-out. The rooms were pretty standard dorm rooms, and had been cleaned prior to arrival. All of the expected amenities were there, and in goodly order. A free tour was included with our stay, though we lacked the time to take advantage of that feature. The free breakfast in the morning was offered in the dining hall, and was beyond what we expected in terms of variety and quality. The location cannot be beat when it comes to access to Durham Cathedral across the way, and the medieval portions of the city. It is not a standard hotel, and booking was a bit odd because of that. That said, we had no issues with the booking, and were pleased with our stay. The porters initially advised us that access was restricted to tours, but when we explained that we were staying there they were very helpful in helping us where we needed to go. Having the porters keeping an active eye on things was appreciated. They were polite, respectful, and helpful at all times. We will be coming back to Durham, and we do plan to stay here again.