Flying tonight?

One way round this is to book into an airport hotel the night before your flight.

That way you can have the peace of mind of adding their alarm call to your own, plus a longer lie-in as check-in is only a short walk away.

At Doubletree, Newcastle, the terminal is a short hop from the hotel. Parking there is only 5 a night, cheaper than the longstay airport car parks, and the early flight means that you can be slipping into the pool at your Mediterranean villa by lunchtime, effectively gaining an extra day of holiday.

You can also enjoy a relaxed meal the night before you travel in the hotel’s restaurant, Fratellos, which serves freshly prepared authentic Italian cuisine with a modern twist. And far from being the soulless sort of place the words “airport hotel” might conjure up, this is an atmospheric, well-lit and attractive eating place that would fit into any buzzy city centre street.

It’s fair to say that the busy barman was having a bit of a moment when we arrived, but he soon regained his composure and was chatty and efficient. In fact, all the staff here were attentive and friendly. The waitress who showed us to a table in one of the booths said as well as servicing travellers, the hotel was a popular meeting place for businesses and for a night out for locals from Ponteland and surrounds. A couple of large groups of friends enjoying a meal out on the night we visited seemed to bear out the latter and if the locals eat at an airport hotel, that’s got to be a good sign.

Across the restaurant we could see the open kitchen and everything looked under control. Our orders were taken promptly and the food arrived 15 minutes later.

For starters, my husband and I had chosen to share the Gamberoni Pastella, which looked pricey at 9.50, but these were two mighty king prawns, succulent and perfectly cooked in tempura batter, served with lemon mayonnaise and a delicious home-made chilli jam. Close my eyes, and I could already have been in the Mediterranean.

At this point some complimentary tomato bread with balsamic vinegar arrived on the table. I assume this dish should have arrived before the starters and been forgotten, but it was welcome, the bread tasty, the dipping vinegar just a little on the sharp side.

For main course, we both chose the chargrilled rib-eye, which had just enough fat on it to make it melt-in-the-mouth succulent. These were excellent steaks. The portion size was good and the meat came with a tasty mushroom and a baked tomato with rosemary. A side dish of chunky chips was tasty and filled any gaps. Cheaper options for mains are pasta dishes and stonebaked pizzas fashioned from home-made pizza dough.

The night before an early flight, it’s probably best to err on the side of caution, so we side-stepped dessert, but options could include Gelato (a selection of three ice creams), tiramisu and chocolate tart with salted caramel ice cream.

With a bottle of Faustino rioja, the meal came to ????, . Then it was upstairs to comfortable beds in a nice room to sleep fitfully until the alarm call came at 4.30am.

Half an hour later we were showered, dressed and strolling off to check-in 100 yards from the hotel. It was a nice, relaxed start to the holiday. We ate breakfast at the terminal, but you can check in for the hotel’s breakfast from 4.30am onwards.

One strange thing, though. The Fratellis customer satisfaction survey offers a number of boxes to tick explaining why you might be eating at the hotel, but not “do you happen to be flying from the terminal on the doorstep”. I should think that’s the reason a lot of people eat there, and given the standard of food and room on offer, the reason why a lot of people return too.

Food facts

FRATELLOS

DoubleTree by Hilton Hotel, Newcastle
International Airport, NE13 8BZ.
T: 01661-824266;
W: doubletree3.hilton.com
Park and fly packages start at around
£100 for an overnight stay and one week’s parking.

Food quality: 4/5
Service: 4/5 
Ambience: 4/5 
Value: 3/5