After a hard day's shopping in Newcastle, Close House Country Club provides the perfect retreat to recharge the batteries, as Lindsay Jennings discovers.

IT'S the attention to detail which counts in a good hotel. I knew when I spotted a card by the side of the bed at Close House Country Club asking me what bed linen I would like that we were in for a treat.

The card said simply that if we were not satisfied with our Egyptian cotton sheets, we could have them swapped for either satin or silk. After a day spent shopping around Newcastle and a pit stop at the Baltic, we were happy to flop down on the cream Frenchstyle double bed and nestle into the Egyptian sheets for a quick snooze.

Close House Country Club is set in a beautiful 18th century house in expansive grounds at Heddon on the Wall, just a few miles from Newcastle.

It was built for the Bewicke family in 1779, but there's evidence of its history dating back to the 13th century in the form of a monastic house at the site.

The house stayed within the Bewicke family for generations until it was sold in the early 1950s. Close House Mansion, as it was then known, and the accompanying golf course, later came under the ownership of Newcastle University before being sold to present owner, multi-millionaire North-East businessman Graham Wylie, in August 2004.

After having spent thousands of pounds on refurbishment, the renamed Close House Country Club, complete with 18-hole golf course, restaurant, and conference facilities, opened in March last year.

The club has seven bedrooms with styles typical of the look exemplified throughout the hotel - a winning combination of contemporary and traditional. A stunning chandelier hangs in the main hall by the sweeping staircase, complementing the ornate sage and gold wallpaper. Our room featured a calming mixture of cream, champagne and deep gold soft furnishings, with ornate mirrors and chic, French-style furniture in cream - and a flat screen television placed discreetly on a chest of drawers.

In the bathroom, we found a huge bath with glorious views across the golf course. Lights set into the bath give off a luminous glow from below, which allows us to sit in peace, drinking champagne and listening to the birds - and hoping that because the lighting is discreet, the golfers aren't watching us, watching them. Limestone floors, twin basins, a huge separate shower and Molton Brown bath products add to the luxurious feel in the bathroom.

Suitably relaxed after a frenetic day, we head for a drink in the house bar before being seated for dinner in the glamorous dining room decorated with rich purples and browns. Head chef Tony Binks has 20 years of experience working all over the world, and his background shows. His food is seasonal and modern with a strong French influence. Much of the produce is organic or free range.

My glazed Swiss cheese souffle (£6.50) came bubbling to the table and was perfectly light and flavoursome, while Mike's slow cooked crispy duck leg with warm potato salad and Madeira chutney (£8.50) was declared "delicious".

The fist-sized, beautifully tender fillet steaks we ordered, served in truffle and Madeira sauces (£24.50 each), were cooked to perfection. Mike has an obsession about finding restaurants that cook steaks perfectly to order. He usually likes it "so a good vet could bring it back to life" and wasn't disappointed. The shared lime creme brulee with coconut ice cream (£6.95) was also a winner.

The staff at Close House deserve a particular mention for being friendly and attentive when needed and unobtrusive when not.

The venue is a perfect place for a wedding (although those looking for a quiet, romantic overnight stay may want to avoid clashes with wedding nights when the music can get a tad loud - although we couldn't hear it in the dining room) or a corporate lunch followed by a round of golf.

After such fine food, we could barely keep our eyes open and it wasn't long before we were heading for those Egyptian cotton sheets.

Prices at Close House Country Club start from £210 for dinner, bed and breakfast. For more information contact (01661) 852255 or visit www. closehouse. co. uk