Built in 1997 and designed to showcase the city of Sunderland's heritage in glass-making and shipbuilding, the Stadium of Light is the home of Sunderland AFC, the city's football team. Nearby lodgings range from golf resorts to private-serviced apartments with amenities such as breakfasts in an Oriental Express train car and even a helipad.
West of the Stadium of Light by 19 minutes, the Mercure Newcastle George Washington Hotel Golf and Spa offers guests two bars and two restaurants featuring international cuisine. Rooms feature standard amenities, though the hotel offers a gymnasium, helipad and an 18-hole golf course with a clubhouse. The spa offers facials, massage, waxing, manicures and pedicures. Nearby attractions include the Washington Galleries, and for dining outside the hotel, the Blacksmith's Table offers live music, regional dishes and is rumored to be haunted.
With a restaurant that serves traditional British cuisine and a bar with live entertainment and karaoke, the Queen Vic is situated on the Sunderland Marina, only five minutes away from the Stadium of Light. Some rooms offer a beachfront view of the North Sea, and the beach is a one-minute walk from the hotel.
Located eight minutes north of the Stadium of Light, the Pullman Lodge is a family-run beachfront hotel. Rooms feature standard amenities, and the lodge provides guests with breakfast in the original Oriental Express railway carriage. Foods to suit special diets are provided upon request. For guests looking to dine elsewhere, Martino's Restaurant is a family-style Italian-American eatery with items like steak, stone-baked pizza and pasta on the menu. Other local attractions include Roker Park.
The Hawksley House offers Sunderland's visitors serviced apartments. These one- and two-bedroom apartments located in a converted Victorian building offer the feel of a boutique hotel in a private, home-like atmosphere. The apartments sit seven minutes away from the Stadium of Light, near the Sunderland Museum and Winter Gardens, as well as the University of Sunderland.
