by Annabelle Thorpe
A new breed of hotel is springing up across the UK, marrying modern style with olde worlde luxury and a state of the art spa. Hotel spas offer the chance to have a relaxing treatment, or even just a soothing swim and steam, without the structure and discipline of a destination spa
On these breaks, the accent is on soft, fluffy beds, indulgent food, fantastic wines and lots of lounging around on plump sofas in front of open fires or beautiful views - a spa treatment or two completes the all-round sensuous experience. Prices are for a double room, including the use of spa facilities but not treatments (excluding Pennyhill, where entry to the spa costs £45 each). See Address book at end of piece for spa contact information and websites.
- Southern England, including the Cotswolds and London area
- Northern England
- Scotland
- Wales
The Grove, Sequoia spa (pictured)
The Grove's proximity to London - near Watford, 20 minutes by train northwest of the capital - makes it an ideal location to combine city and country, and the Grove's spa, Sequoia, provides the perfect relaxation option after a day exploring London. The emphasis is on peace and tranquillity in the black, mosaic-tiled pool, Zen garden and the candlelit treatment room. Try the Purva Karma four-hand synchronised massage for two hours of total bliss (£200). From £240 per room per night.
Cowley Manor, C-side spa
One of the slickest of the new breed of country house hotels is Cowley Manor. The building, inspired by Rome's Villa Borghese and set on 55 acres, combines ultra-modern decor with a grand old design. That's matched by a flexible attitude - breakfast at 4pm, dinner at midnight, for example, if that is what you fancy. Surrounded by charming Cotswold countryside, and only 35 miles from Oxford, the C-side spa (get it?) offers ESPA and Clarins treatments including the Crunch (£74), a blissful hot-stone massage. Cowley is all about indulgence, with gadget-crammed bedrooms including Loewe TVs and DVD players. From £220 per room per night.
Whatley Manor, Aquarius spa
Whatley Manor, close to the elegant former spa town of Cheltenham and ideal for touring the Cotswold Hills, has already made a name for itself as a fashionable getaway. The Aquarius spa offers indulgent La Prairie treatments against a backdrop of art installations and gorgeous mosaics. Consider its La Prairie Swiss Bliss (£195) - a three-hour face and body treatment that uses caviar extracts and reflexology techniques to lull you into relaxation. Afterwards, take a gentle stroll around Whatley's glorious country house gardens, dotted with sculptures and filled with roses and well-kept lawns. From £275 per room per night.
Babington House, The Cowshed
The Cowshed spa at Babington House (the country club of Soho House, London's media meeting place) has a reputation as one of the hippest country spots to get pampered in the UK. Forget tiled treatment rooms; here you can take your massage or facial in a traditional Mongolian yurt (tent) or a cabin by the lake. Offerings stick to the bovine theme: try a 'cowgirl' facial, with shoulder and scalp massage, or a 'honey moo' (£120) where you and a partner get side-by-side massages. Situated near the pretty market town of Frome, Somerset, Babington is perfectly situated for exploring the Somerset countryside and the Georgian city of Bath. From £215 per room per night.
Prices and details are correct at time of publication.
Pennyhill Park, The Spa at Pennyhill Park
The UK's biggest hotel spa is at Pennyhill Park in Surrey, southwest of London, boasting 21 treatment rooms, a thermal sequencing suite with ice caves, saunas and themed showers and, at times, the English rugby team, which practices on the pitch at the hotel. This spa focuses on luxury, whether it's a champagne manicure or a 'chocolate and vanilla body therapy' (£120). The hotel is a 19th-century mansion, overlooking glorious Surrey countryside, and the elegant terraces are perfect for an indulgent, post-spa afternoon tea. From £180 per room per night.
Our reviewer says: Out-of-the-ordinary offerings like a Schnapps steam room, Aboriginal products and big treatment rooms will woo spa-lovers. Plus, the wet treatment room for two gives new meaning to the phrase 'dirty weekend'. Read the full review here.
Bailiffscourt, Temple Spa
Ideal for beach lovers, Bailiffscourt in West Sussex is just a few minutes stroll from the English Channel. The hotel looks like a 17th-century manor house but was actually built in the 1920s, while the Temple Spa opened in 2003. Treatments have a strong Mediterranean feel; the Mediterranean marinade facial (£40) is packed with sun-kissed herbs and minerals; body treatments contain plenty of citrus oils; and the 'Tapas' menu contains side orders such as waxing. There are indoor and outdoor swimming pools and jacuzzis, and room and breakfast costs from £185 per night.
Stapleford Park, The Spa at Stapleford
For a traditional English-country-house experience, it doesn't get any better than Stapleford Park, a glorious 16th-century mansion, with each of the 51 high-impact bedrooms styled by a different designer, from Liberty to Pirelli. Children are well catered for, with plenty of activities, so adults can wander into the gorgeous Capability Brown-designed parkland, or sneak off to the Clarins spa for a steam, swim and indulgent facial. Traditional English pursuits are also on offer, such as carriage-driving and falconry. From £230 per room per night.
Seaham Hall, Serenity Spa
Hidden away on England's northeast coast, close to the cathedral city of Durham, lies Seaham Hall, once home to the poet Lord Byron, now an superb hotel with the award-winning Serenity Spa attached. The spa has an oriental theme, with traditional Japanese and Thai massage therapies such as the Zen Kai-Kan massage - which uses stroking movements designed to balance the body - and fruit and herbal ingredients. The hydrotherapy pool, with its different jets and massage streams, is wonderfully invigorating, but to feel really indulged order a glass of champagne and lie back in the outdoor jacuzzi, surrounded by glorious Northumbrian countryside. Tara Palmer-Tomkinson is said to be a fan of this spa. Room and breakfast from £195 per night.
Prices and details are correct at time of publication.
Turnberry, The Spa
Turnberry offers an excellent his-and-hers experience, where you can offset a day of outdoors activity with full-body pampering. The Scottish resorts boasts 800 acres of glorious countryside, with golf, fishing, riding and falconry as well as the spa. The spa's centrepiece is a 20-metre swimming pool with views across the sea towards the Ailsa Craig. Turnberry has been a golf resort for almost 100 years, but now also boasts a kids club, cookery school and the Colin Montgomerie Links Golf Academy to ensure you improve your swing. If that all sounds like hard work, opt for the Holistic Body Care treatment, which combines body brushing and exfoliation with a deep body and scalp massage (£99). Rooms from £149 per night.
Bodysgallen Hall, Bodysgallen Spa Explore the mountain landscapes of Snowdonia in North Wales from the comfort of Bodysgallen Hall and revive aching limbs with a Molton Brown 'gingerlily bodywrap' (£55) in the elegant spa. Bodysgallen is a 17th-century mansion perched above the seaside town of Llandudno, and the spa is housed in converted farm buildings, with pool, sauna and steam rooms, together with a club room and terrace for light lunches and juices. The ancient castles of Conwy, Caernarfon, Harlech and Beaumaris are all nearby, or just stay put and indulge in a Welsh afternoon tea with champagne. From £165 per room per night.
Get more ideas on where to relax, unwind and indulge yourself while in Britain on VisitBritain's new-look website, www.visitbritain.com - click on 'Good Living'.
For more spa breaks and reviews, visit iVillage's Spa Central.
Get personal advice, tips and ideas on the Travelling on a Budget message board or join the current conversations now.
Prices and details are correct at time of publication.
Address book:
Babington House
Babington near Frome
Somerset BA11 3RW
Tel: 01373 812266
www.babingtonhouse.co.uk
Bailiffscourt Hotel
Climping
West Sussex BN17 5RW
01903 723511
www.hshotels.co.uk
Bodysgallen Hotel, Restaurant and Spa
Llandudno
North Wales LL30 1RS
Tel: 01492 584466,
www.bodysgallen.com
Cowley Manor
Cowley, near Chelthenham
Gloucestershire GL53 9NL
Tel: 01242 870900
www.cowleymanor.com
The Grove
Chandler's Cross
Hertfordshire WD3 4TG
Tel: 01923 807807
www.thegrove.co.uk
Pennyhill Park
London Road, Bagshot
Surrey GU19 5EU
Tel: 01276 471774
www.exclusivehotels.co.uk
Seaham Hall
Lord Byrons Walk
Durham SR7 7AG
Tel: 0191 516 1400
www.seaham-hall.com
Stapleford Park
Nr Melton Mowbray
Leicestershire LE14 2EF
Tel: 01572 787522
www.stapleford.co.uk
Turnberry
The Westin Turnberry Resort
Ayrshire, Scotland KA26 9LT
Tel: 01655 333991
www.turnberry.co.uk
Whatley Manor
Easton Grey
Malmesbury
Wiltshire SN16 0RB
Tel: 01666 822888
www.whatleymanor.co.uk
Prices and details are correct at time of publication.