While Her Majesty was enjoying her Jubilee celebrations in London, we were being treated to our own touch of luxury at Linhope House, a gorgeous Bed and Breakfast in Rothbury, Northumberland.

I won us a night here back in February, thanks to Paul from baldhiker.com who ran the competition – I always thought I was one of those poor souls who never wins anything! We decided to treat ourselves to a couple of extra nights, too, and we arrived home on Monday after a wonderfully relaxing weekend.

Jonathan and Joanne are the perfect hosts; we had a lovely warm welcome on arrival, and then always a way of contacting them if we needed it, and a promise that Jonathan would pop up “genie-like” at the press of a button. We didn’t need it, of course – everything’s just perfect as it is.

Having Joanne looking after us at breakfast time was lovely too; if there’s ever a competition for sunniest hostess, Joanne would be a definite contender.  None of that warmth is at the expense of any privacy; it’s a very small place, but there’s never any intrusion and it’s as though both Jonathan and Joanne have a sense of exactly when to appear and when to slip away.

Breakfast was stunning, with everything being cooked from fresh and a good range to pick from. A good cooked breakfast is always a treat, and the local bacon and sausages were absolutely delicious.  I had kippers one morning, and they were perfect too.

Our room – the Mint Room – was sumptuous and very roomy, with everything we needed.  We had a couple of quite busy days while we were there, and it was good to have the space to be able to curl up and read in the evenings (there was a great TV in the room, too, but I’m a bit anti-telly when I’m on holiday so we didn’t have it on).

The location’s great; a very quiet terrace set just off the main road with just a few moments’ walk to the river.  Rothbury itself was just a stroll away, and Alnwick’s only a short drive.

We’d definitely recommend Linhope House for anyone wanting a little bit of luxury and some real peace and quiet.  We even had proper darkness at night, which is something we never have at home!

If you’d like to follow them on twitter, they’re @linhopehouse