Martin Jarred has an encounter with a bear in a luxury hotel bedroom and lives to tell the tale.

OUR room was already occupied. There, sprawled on the four-poster bed, was Trevor. He was bare naked and didn't bat an eyelid as we entered. But our surprise guest was not unwelcome - he was a rather beguiling teddy bear whose presence was one of many additional surprises in our room at Judges, Kirklevington Hall.

As far as we could tell, his bear nap had not been induced by a surfeit of drink because the decanter of scotch on a table bearing complimentary fruit and chocolates remained untouched.

The scotch was just one extra in a room cram-full of them. Widescreen television, CD stereo, pot-pourri, well-stocked mini-bar, a bright, light bathroom that contained everything from bathrobes to an incense oil burner. There was even a sewing cushion in the wardrobe.

It was crystal clear that this country house hotel's 19 en-suite rooms are a source of great pride. We were whisked straight to our room, by-passing the tedious check-in routine.

While the little "extras" such as Trevor gave the room a warm, cosy feeling we would have preferred a bit more space in the bedroom as moving round the outside of the four-poster was a bit of a struggle.

But there is only so much time you can spend in your room and there's plenty of interest when we began exploring the hall and its 22-acres of grounds.

The Richardsons, a Hartlepool family who built their wealth on engineering, constructed Kirklevington Hall in 1881 and it remained in family hands until the last in the blood line died in 1940.

The estate was requisitioned by the Army towards the end of the Second World War and a massive bunker was built which became a secret command centre for the North East. The bunker, complete with 2ft thick walls, was later converted to a modern house for members of the Downs family - Judges' current owners.

In the 1970s the mansion was transformed into a country lodging for circuit court judges - hence the name - so they could unwind after a long day's deliberation.

So what was our verdict on Judges?

You'll find it hard to better the hotel's cuisine because chef Colin Woodward and his team have put together a sumptious, imaginative menu to match the plush surroundings.

But while we nibbled on our pre-meal canapes, Jenny discovered the vegetarian section was not included in the main menu. She had to ask for it and found it rather low-key compared with the other gourmet delights. We were told later that including a vegetarian section within the main menu was being examined. It certainly seemed odd to us that an establishment offering such quality cuisine should not provide its guests all its culinary options, or perhaps the waiter was simply forgetful.

Gourmet evenings are popular diary dates at Judges with some particularly eye-catching French culinary creations, a vast wine list, and a trolley packed with some of Europe's finest cheeses.

Dining in the Conservatory Restaurant at sunset was a delight. It nestles next to the formal dining room and overlooks a sweeping lawn with the trees of the grounds providing a beautiful backdrop as Jenny and I savoured our succulent poached salmon and delicious medium-rare steak after wonderfully fresh raspberry and orange sorbets cleared the palate of our starters.

Appetites satisfied, it was time to check on Trevor in our room with a whisky nightcap. The little chap was there in the morning when, much to vegetarian Jenny's delight, kedgeree was on the breakfast menu, thus softening the blow of the previous night's veggie disappointment.

Kirklevington Hall is a fairly short drive away from York, just off the A19, and is a wonderful base to explore the Tees Valley and Captain Cook country. The best way is to judge for yourself.

Judges Country House Hotel, Kirklevington Hall, Kirklevington, Yarm, Tees Valley, TS15 9LW. Telephone 01642 789000, fax 01642 782878. Email: enquiries@judgeshotel.co.uk

In a recent travel feature on Cap Esterel in the South of France we gave the Rail Europe switchboard number. However Rail Europe says the best number for all inquiries and bookings for rail travel throughout Europe is its direct call centre on 08705 848 848. Or visit its website on www.raileurope.co.uk

Updated: 10:26 Saturday, August 24, 2002