Jesmond Dene House can be found in the fantastic Victorian pleasure park of Jesmond Dene. The hotel itself is independent of any larger chains and so the quality of the experience that you have is down to the owners, staff and their expression of the North East of England’s hospitality.

When it comes to central Newcastle, you cannot get more central than Motel One in the heart of the city centre. Motel One’s building has been refurbished into a modern affordable hotel with all that one would expect for a comfortable night in the city centre.

A short walk away from St. James’s park is the Earl of Pitt Street. The Earl is a fantastic pub and restaurant in the centre of Newcastle. It sits opposite the old Newcastle Brown Ale brewery site – now the Newcastle Helix owned by Newcastle University – and is the last remaining pub in the area connected to the old brewery.

Blackfriars restaurant has gone from strength to strength. Andy and his wife, Sam, founded it in 2001 and developed it in the following years, so much so that they have come to use more and more of the old monastery buildings for baking lessons, wine tasting and cookery courses, all bookable through their website.

Behind Newcastle Train station, and a stones throw away from the location where George and Robert Stephenson built The Rocket steam locomotive, is Sachins. Sachins provides the finest Punjabi cuisine in Newcastle and the North East.

On the Gateshead quayside, underneath the Tyne bridge is one of the best locations to go for a meal in Newcastle and Gateshead. In what was once derelict land on the quayside, now exists a fantastic shipping container village of purposely rusted shipping containers.

Starting at its bar – which was also where Pleased to Meet You’s story began – you can enjoy some of the best drinks available in Newcastle. From locally produced gins, provided by the glass or bucket depending on the occasion, to real ales, the bar has what you need before you sit down for your meal.

In the city centre of Newcastle you can find the Tyneside Cinema. The Tyneside is one of the most loved cinemas in the North East of England, from its iconic Art Deco interior (best shown off in the Classic Screen) through to the wonderful range of world films and amazing community.

The Live Theatre has a fantastic reputation for developing, writing and producing new plays and shows every year. The Live Theatre started in 1973. It was at first a traveling theatre company, which started by telling stories that were relatable to daily life in the North East of England and presented these plays to local people – which it has continued to do to this day.

In 2011 the theatre was refurbished for six months back to the 1901 interior designed by Frank Matcham, ready for the 175th birthday of the theatre. The theatre is also proud to be one of nine grade one listed theatres in the United Kingdom, an honour it truly deserves.

The Shipley Art Gallery can be found on Prince Consort Road (named after Queen Victoria’s Husband – Prince Albert) and was created in 1917 after Joseph Shipley, a local solicitor, bestowed his collection of 504 paintings to create a gallery for local people.

A stone’s throw from Newcastle’s Central Station, and around the corner from Newcastle’s Castle, is The Lit and Phil. Only a few years younger than Manchester’s, The Lit and Phil is the second oldest literary and philosophical society in the United Kingdom.