Why travel to the France Alps, Switzerland or the Far East for the ultimate Spa Breaks when you can have them here in the UK at some of the best countryside hotels. Taking you closer to nature these countryside spas offer the best in mind and body rejuvenation, using a mixture of state-of the-art centres and natural ingredients. They are the perfect quick-fix weekend spa break to soothe your worries. Here I have collated six of the best, packed with character and talented masseurs.
STOKE PARK
Score brownie points your lady guest: this was the location used for the romantic getaway in the mind numbingly dull Bridget Jones Diary. You on the other hand, will probably recognise it from the golf scene in Goldfinger. Adjacent to the century old clubhouse is the Spa, Health and Raquet Pavillion, which houses 28 contemporary suites, bringing the total number of room to 49. A treatment menu has been devised just for men, most of which features the hotel’s own line of exclusive SPC products. Or if you prefer, you can just veg out in the Italian marble steam room after working up a sweat in the state-of-the-art gym.
BABINGTON HOUSE
A must-visit spa for over 12 years, the celeb-friendly, Georgian bolthole, Babington House’s Cowshed Spa is set deep in the Somerset countryside. The Cowshed spa houses a pool, steam room, sauna and gym, as well as six treatment rooms and series of soaking baths. All the Cowshed products are plant base, their own product range are made from 100 percent natural essential oils is use in all treatments. At your convenience you can ask to have your treatment in your room*.
POWERSCOURT
This 30,000sq ft uber-spa really does have it all. From the separate male and female thermal suites overlooking the Sugar Loaf Mountain to the 20-metre Swarovski crystal-lit pool, Powerscourt is packed with luxurious ways for you to relax and unwind. Signature experience includes the ominous-sounding a Garden of Inspiration Body Ritual, which involved a sea-salt and essential-oil body scrub, intensive massage, a heated boy mask and Oriental head massage. If you are interested there is a Gordon Ramsay restaurant on site.
THE GROVE
Situated just outside Watford Junction, The Grove is a 300-acre 18th-century estate with beautiful gardens for you to enjoy nature. Also on site is an 18-hole championship golf course, a fine-dining restaurant, a makeshift beach and some 227 luxury rooms. Its Sequoia spa is a destination in itself, incorporating ESPA products. It is knows to attracts footballers’ wives, golfers and escape the city weekenders.
BARNSLEY HOUSE
Once Barnsley, located in the Cotswolds was the Mecca for gardeners due to its famous garden, since 2002 its been transform into a luxury spa resort, boasting modern facilities with B&B Italia leather chaise longues and floor-to-ceiling windows. It fits surprisingly well in the 17th-century boutique hotel and houses six treatment rooms featuring REN products, a sauna and a hydrotherapy pool. The day-spa experience includes a one-hour full-body massage, use of spa facilities and a two-course lunch for one small price.
GRAND JERSEY
Once recognised as the UK’s most picturesque cash funnel. Jersey has morphed into something of a premier hotel-spa destination, with the iconic Grand Jersey leading the way. Dating back to the 1890s, the 122-room hotel houses an 8,000 sq ft Elemis spa with stat-of-the-art VIP treatment rooms, double beds for simultaneous pampering and the world’s first GHD hair spa. It also offers cutting-edge Galvanic treatments that eliminate wrinkles by sending age-reversing signals by collagen-producing cells.
*not all rooms allow this service