Travel 

Advertisement

Britain's country hotel spas

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

Southern England

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.

Delicious     Digg     reddit     Facebook     StumbleUpon

  Get the latest iVillage news on your desktop    Sign up for more iVillage RSS feeds

© iVillage Limited 2000-2008. All rights reserved. | © iVillage inc. 1995-2008. All rights reserved.
iVillage Ltd is a UK company registered in England & Wales (3837269) at 80-110 New Oxford Street, London WC1 1HB