Editor's Choice Spas 2023
Editor’s Choice: Best Spa Hotels
Hartwell House - Autumn September Special Offer
Aylesbury
Take a dip in the pool in a Regency-style ‘orangery’ in the spa at this mansion that was once home to Louis XVIII’s court in exile. There is a wide choice of aromatherapy treatments, a steam room, saunas and a gym. In the club room, help yourself to tea, coffee and biscuits (Bourbons, we presume).
From £200 per night
The Lygon Arms - Four Nights for the Price of Three Special Offer
Broadway
Body and soul are well catered for at this historic coaching inn with 21st-century spa. Above a 13m pool a retractable roof opens to the sky. There is an extensive treatment menu, a steam room and sauna, a state-of-the-art, air-conditioned gym, and a sun terrace where you can relax with a light bite and a smoothie.
Chewton Glen - 'Your Stay Your Way' £100 Credit Special Offer
New Milton
Peacefully situated on the edge of the New Forest, the spa at this five-star country house hotel is perfect for a day retreat, with heated pools indoors and out, a bar dispensing healthy fare, a Technogym, dance studio, yoga classes, aromatherapy sauna, crystal steam room and sublime holistic therapies.
Bedruthan Hotel and Spa - 'Simply Bedruthan' Special Offer
Mawgan Porth
Ayurveda-inspired treatments and Atlantic views relax and enliven guests at this family-friendly clifftop hotel. Enjoy Nordic thermal therapy in the Scandi-style sensory spa garden, as you breathe in the herb-scented Cornish sea air. There’s a sauna, steam room, caldarium, hydrotherapy pool and hot tubs.
The Devonshire Arms - Three Nights for the Price of Two Special Offer
Skipton
Arrive for a spa day at this country house hotel on the Duke of Devonshire’s estate and you’ll be shown to a bell tent with a log burner, refreshments, robes and slippers. Use the spa pool, sauna and hot tub at your leisure. Four therapy rooms are housed in an ancient barn next to the hotel, where the relaxation space has views to the Dales.
Seaham Hall - 'Autumn Nights' Special Offer
Seaham
North-east meets Far East in the Serenity Spa at this opulent hotel. Delights include a hydrotherapy pool, a hammam with snail showers and Jacuzzi, salt sauna, eucalyptus steam room, ice fountain, hot tubs, Zen lounge, and pan-Asian cooking in the Ozone restaurant. ‘We must try this again,’ said readers newly sold on the spa experience.
Talbooth House & Spa
DEDHAM
There are six treatment rooms, four doubles, three beside the heated outdoor pool, at the Milsom family’s country house hotel in Dedham Vale. They’ll make you feel pampered, with head-to-foot beauty therapies, while day packages include a mezze lunch. It’s adults only, but there is supervised swimming for kids at set times.
Lake Country House Hotel & Spa
Llangammarch Wells
The serene surroundings of wooded, riverside grounds with mountain views instil a sense of well-being at Jan and Pierre Mifsud’s Victorian former fishing lodge. The spa has a 15m pool, sauna, steam room and hot tub, as well as tennis courts and gym.
Park House, Hotel & Spa
Midhurst
You can book a single treatment or devise your own bespoke spa day at this leisure-oriented country house hotel. As well as treatments to de-stress, there is an indoor pool, sauna, steam rooms, and, in summer, a heated outdoor pool. A fully equipped gym, tennis, bowls, croquet and golf are also available.
The Swan Hotel & Spa
Lavenham
You’ll be welcomed with a smile and a dairy-free smoothie in the Weavers’ House Spa at this wonky, 15th-century timber-frame inn. There’s a steam room, sauna, outdoor heated vitality pool, relaxation suites and spa garden terrace. Arrive feeling like an ugly duckling, and you’ll leave looking every inch a swan.
Editor's Choice Spas 2022
Editor’s Choice: Best Spa Hotels
Congham Hall - 'Sleep Soundly Package' Special Offer
King's Lynn
Renowned for its extensive herb garden, Congham makes use of home-grown herbs and flowers in its signature treatments, such as a Herbal Facial or Rosemary Muscle Melt Massage. There is also a
12-metre indoor pool and a bio sauna.
Bodysgallen Hall and Spa - 'National Trust Winter Special Break' Special Offer
Llandudno
Restore mind and body at this 17th- century country house with over 200 acres of gardens and parkland. The spa has a 15-metre pool, gym, sun garden and treatments ranging from an Aching Foot Relaxer to a ‘non-surgical facelift’.
Seaham Hall - 'Autumn Nights' Special Offer
Seaham
Seaham’s superlative Asian-themed spa has swish, spacious facilities, including a 20-metre pool, hammam, salt sauna, eucalyptus steam room, herbal sanarium and Zen lounge. Celebrate peace of mind with a manicure and bubbly in the nail bar.
The Scarlet - 'Advanced Purchase' Special Offer
Mawgan Porth
This chic, eco-friendly hotel spa on the Cornish coast keeps ‘getting things right’, say readers. Enjoy the clifftop wooden sauna, lounge in a hot tub to the sound of crashing waves and really relax in a cosy, suspended cocoon pod.
Homewood
Bath
A pretty outdoor pool and cosy, sheltered divans to lounge on are a highlight of the spa at this stylish hotel. Refresh tired limbs in the hydrotherapy pool or steam room, and have a Tibetan ‘five elements’ massage.
Gilpin Hotel and Lake House
Windermere
Not only do the garden suites have their own cedarwood hot tubs, but there are lodges with steam rooms and saunas, and even more pampering spa suites, with bedrooms ‘floating’ over a pond. The private Lake House has its own swimming pool.
Lime Wood
Lyndhurst
Swanky, in a hippy-chic sort of way, and inspired by its forested, flowered and scented setting, the Herb House Spa has a glamorous pool overlooking the garden, an outdoor hot pool, a mud house, and a high-tech rooftop gym and yoga deck.
Calcot & Spa
Tetbury
Combine a Cotswold break at this 16th- century house with some me-time in the heated indoor pool and courtyard hot tub. In addition to the sauna, steam rooms and treatments, there are tennis courts and bike rides through the 220-acre estate.
Mullion Cove Hotel
Helston
There is plenty to rejuvenate you here, from the outdoor pool and appealing range of treatments – Organic Seaweed Leaf Wrap or Jade Wave Stone massage – to the spectacular clifftop views. There is a dedicated vegan menu in the restaurant.
The Newt in Somerset
Castle Cary
Spas sometimes look like clumsy add-ons, but the half-indoor, half-outdoor pool here, with its timber roof and stone walls, complements the aesthetics of this Palladian manor. After a treatment, meditate in the medieval herb garden.
Editor's Choice Spas 2021
Editor’s Choice: Best Spa Hotels
Hartwell House - Autumn September Special Offer
Aylesbury
The terracotta walls, arches and statues lend a Roman vibe to this spa set in the garden orangery. And after your pick from a range of Aromatherapy Associates therapies, you should feel like a Roman god or goddess.
From £200 per night
Chewton Glen - 'Your Stay Your Way' £100 Credit Special Offer
New Milton
If you feel a twinge after using the hotel’s golf course, you can book a massage using golf balls. There is something for everyone, with dance classes and kids’ treatments. There’s also an ozone-treated pool, hydrotherapy pool and hot tub.
The Devonshire Arms - Three Nights for the Price of Two Special Offer
Skipton
There’s no need to venture into the Yorkshire Dales to get muddy when you can do so in the rasul temple, with different muds to treat the face, body and hair. The spa, in an ancient, adjacent barn, features a pool beneath a high beamed ceiling.
Seaham Hall - 'Autumn Nights' Special Offer
Seaham
A destination spa with a boutique hotel attached, Seaham has at its heart a toasty 20-metre hydrotherapy pool. Designed according to feng shui principles, the spa comes with outdoor hot tubs, a variety of sauna and steam cabins and a modern gym.
Summer Lodge
Evershot
Other spas embrace the darkness, but Summer Lodge is true to its name, with its pool and gym in an impressive light-filled conservatory. There are mindfulness classes, and both reiki and reflexology as well as Elemis treatments.
From £60 per night
Whatley Manor
Easton Grey
For extra effect, you can book a treatment in the Natura Bissé Bubble Suite, where filtered air is 99.95 per cent pure. As
well as an impressive inside/outside hydrotherapy pool, the spa has heated recliners in the tepidarium and thermal suite.
Ilsington Country House Hotel & Spa
Newton Abbot
Wine isn’t just for dinner at this Dartmoor hotel: spa treatments use vinotherapy, based on the antioxidant qualities of grapes. You can enjoy a premier cru facial or a crushed cabernet body treatment and toast the healthy side of wine.
The Royal Crescent Hotel & Spa
Bath
What could be better for the soul than swimming in the pool as shards of light penetrate the church-style windows of this boutique spa? A door opens on to a
walled garden for more relaxation after an Elemental Herbology treatment.
Lake Country House Hotel & Spa
Llangammarch Wells
Indulge in champagne and truffles – as a facial, rather than at dinner, although you do get a complimentary glass of bubbles too, putting the treat into this Temple Spa treatment. There is a hot tub overlooking the lake as well as a pool.
Mullion Cove Hotel
Helston
Forget whale music: at this cliff-top spa hotel, the lapping sea provides the relaxation soundtrack. With an outdoor pool and hot tub, seaweed treatments and a wall of windows to show off the view, it makes the most of the seaside setting.
Editor's Choice Spas 2020
Editor’s Choice: Best Spa Hotels
Mallory Court - Autumn Stay Special Offer
Leamington Spa
A romantic Elizabethan-style Edwardian mansion, built for a Manchester cotton bleacher and set in landscaped gardens, is the epitome of a well-run country house hotel.
Chewton Glen - 'Your Stay Your Way' £100 Credit Special Offer
New Milton
This quintessential English country house with spa, pools, kids’ club, elegant bedrooms and fun tree houses, hits all the right luxurious notes for a romantic or family stay.
Seaham Hall - 'Autumn Nights' Special Offer
Seaham
Garden suites with hot tubs, a state-of-the-art spa, brightly coloured sofas under gleaming chandeliers . . . this country house hotel offers luxury with a contemporary edge.
The Scarlet - 'Advanced Purchase' Special Offer
Mawgan Porth
Eco values as well as enjoyment are fundamental to this cliff-top hotel, with sea thrift-covered roof, sweeping curves, reed-filtered pool and walls of windows to soak up the light and the seascape.
Whatley Manor
Easton Grey
Centred on a Georgian farmhouse, with 26 ornamental gardens, a spa, gym, contemporary bedrooms, Michelin-starred dining-room, brasserie and kitchen garden terrace, this hotel has ‘luxury' written all over it.
Gilpin Hotel and Lake House
Windermere
With its indulgent bedrooms, Michelin-starred dining, attentive staff and guaranteed privacy, many look to Gilpin as the ultimate in Lakeland luxury.
Bingham Riverhouse
Richmond-upon-Thames
You can paddleboard on the river, stroll to see the deer in Richmond Park, and feel a world away from central London at this smart, multifaceted Thames-side hotel.
Longueville Manor
St Saviour
'Absolutely faultless from the moment we arrived', Malcolm and Patricia Lewis's manor-house hotel (Relais & Châteaux) sits in landscaped gardens with a lake and specimen trees.
Dart Marina
Dartmouth
Big picture windows frame views of the Dart at this cool, contemporary hotel with a leisure vibe, uncluttered chic bedrooms, relaxed gourmet dining in the riverside restaurant and alfresco.
St Brides Spa Hotel
Saundersfoot
High above the town, a modern hotel with ‘exceptional’ seascapes that are as restorative, perhaps, as the calm that washes over guests in the award-winning spa.
Editor's Choice Spas 2019
Editor’s Choice: Best Spa Hotels
Congham Hall - 'Sleep Soundly Package' Special Offer
King's Lynn
Fragrant herbs and flowers from the renowned herb garden infuse signature treatments in the Secret Garden Spa at this Georgian mansion. There’s a pool with floor-to-ceiling windows, a thermal suite, an outdoor hot tub.
Cliveden House - Three Nights for the Price of Two Midweek Special Offer
Taplow
Surely one of Britain’s most beautiful spas lies within old brick walls in the gardens of this Italianate mansion. Facilities include an indoor and (notorious) outdoor pool, a gym, hot tubs – an easy drive from London.
Seaham Hall - 'Autumn Nights' Special Offer
Seaham
A dramatic swimming pool with massage stations and a floor-to-ceiling glass wall overlooking the verdant grounds, an Asian herbal sanarium and an Indian steam room with amethyst crystals lie at the heart of this Georgian mansion’s award-winning spa.
Gilpin Hotel and Lake House
Windermere
Cedar-clad spa lodges at Gilpin Hotel have a treatment area, steam room, outdoor sauna and hot tub. Lake House guests can book treatments in the Jetty Spa, in a tree canopy overlooking a lake.
Lime Wood
Lyndhurst
Spa days and holidays are spent in luxury at this New Forest hotel. There is a mud house, an outdoor hot pool, sauna and rooftop gym, with healthy food in Raw & Cured, all in a tranquil forest setting.
Ilsington Country House Hotel & Spa
Newton Abbot
ILSINGTON
This Dartmoor country house hotel’s spa draws inspiration from Tibet, with soothing sounds, scents and music. There’s a hydrotherapy pool, steam room, sauna, and poolside ‘kubel dusche’ – a bucket of ice water to tip over yourself.
The Royal Crescent Hotel & Spa
Bath
Guests don robes and flip-flops to relax and sip champagne with lunch at this luxury hotel’s spa garden. The bath house has a relaxation pool, vitality pool, salt- infused sauna and a blossom steam room.
Park House, Hotel & Spa
Midhurst
Day guests, members and hotel residents pass through a marble shower before dipping in a mother-of-pearl indoor pool at this Edwardian country house’s spa. They can also bathe in the outdoor pool, use sauna or steam rooms.
St Brides Spa Hotel
Saundersfoot
A warm, salt-water infinity pool overlooking the bay is a highlight of this coastal hotel’s spa. Double treatment rooms have full-height sliding windows to let in the sea breezes and soothing sound of the waves.
Barnsley House
Cirencester
Cotswold stone and beams create indoor– outdoor harmony at the spa in the garden of this manor house. There is a choice of music in treatment rooms, a herbaceous sauna, a lounge overlooking the outdoor, heated hydrotherapy pool.
Spas 2018
Editor’s Choice: Best Spa Hotels
Congham Hall - 'Sleep Soundly Package' Special Offer
King's Lynn
Renowned for its herb garden, with some 400 varieties, this Georgian merchant's manor house is set in 30 acres of Norfolk parkland.
Cliveden House - Three Nights for the Price of Two Midweek Special Offer
Taplow
Redolent of its sometimes racy past, this veritable palazzo, designed by Sir Charles Barry in 1850 for the Duke of Sutherland, sits in National Trust pleasure grounds above the Thames.
Seaham Hall - 'Autumn Nights' Special Offer
Seaham
Garden suites with hot tubs, a state-of-the-art spa, brightly coloured sofas under gleaming chandeliers . . . this country house hotel offers luxury with a contemporary edge.
The Scarlet - 'Advanced Purchase' Special Offer
Mawgan Porth
Eco values as well as enjoyment are fundamental to this cliff-top hotel, with sea thrift-covered roof, sweeping curves, reed-filtered pool and walls of windows to soak up the light and the seascape.
Cary Arms & Spa - 'Celebration Hideaway' Special Offer
Babbacombe
A cosy beamed pub is the warm heart of this hotel, in the shelter of wooded, red sandstone cliffs that reminded the young Queen Victoria of ‘a ballet or a play where nymphs appear’.
Lime Wood
Lyndhurst
A New Forest bolt-hole, this country house hotel has an easy glamour, romantic and family-friendly rooms, heart-warming Italian food and top-notch spa.
Longueville Manor
St Saviour
'Absolutely faultless from the moment we arrived', Malcolm and Patricia Lewis's manor-house hotel (Relais & Châteaux) sits in landscaped gardens with a lake and specimen trees.
Park House, Hotel & Spa
Midhurst
An Edwardian country house in long-time family ownership is run as a spa hotel, restaurant and leisure destination with facilities for golf, tennis, bowls, croquet, swimming.
St Brides Spa Hotel
Saundersfoot
High above the town, a modern hotel with ‘exceptional’ seascapes that are as restorative, perhaps, as the calm that washes over guests in the award-winning spa.
2017 Editor's Choice Spas
Editor’s Choice: Best Spa Hotels
Hartwell House - Autumn September Special Offer
Aylesbury
An equestrian statue of Frederick, Prince of Wales, marks your arrival at this glorious Jacobean-cum-Georgian mansion, a hotel since the late 1980s.
From £200 per night
Chewton Glen - 'Your Stay Your Way' £100 Credit Special Offer
New Milton
This quintessential English country house with spa, pools, kids’ club, elegant bedrooms and fun tree houses, hits all the right luxurious notes for a romantic or family stay.
Bodysgallen Hall and Spa - 'National Trust Winter Special Break' Special Offer
Llandudno
This Tudor Gothic-style Elizabethan mansion, extended over centuries, overlooks parkland with a rare 17th-century parterre, walled rose garden, cascade, lily pond and follies.
Cliveden House - Three Nights for the Price of Two Midweek Special Offer
Taplow
Redolent of its sometimes racy past, this veritable palazzo, designed by Sir Charles Barry in 1850 for the Duke of Sutherland, sits in National Trust pleasure grounds above the Thames.
Seaham Hall - 'Autumn Nights' Special Offer
Seaham
Garden suites with hot tubs, a state-of-the-art spa, brightly coloured sofas under gleaming chandeliers . . . this country house hotel offers luxury with a contemporary edge.
The Scarlet - 'Advanced Purchase' Special Offer
Mawgan Porth
Eco values as well as enjoyment are fundamental to this cliff-top hotel, with sea thrift-covered roof, sweeping curves, reed-filtered pool and walls of windows to soak up the light and the seascape.
Lime Wood
Lyndhurst
A New Forest bolt-hole, this country house hotel has an easy glamour, romantic and family-friendly rooms, heart-warming Italian food and top-notch spa.
The Royal Crescent Hotel & Spa
Bath
At the centre of a glorious Georgian crescent, two adjoining mansions are home to an elegant yet family-friendly hotel with oasis garden and beautiful spa.
Calcot & Spa
Tetbury
Amid gardens, native woodland and meadow, this 16th-century manor house is today a family-friendly hotel and spa with contemporary comforts and a choice of formal and informal dining.
Hotels chosen in 2016
Editor’s Choice: Best Spa Hotels
Park House, Hotel & Spa
Midhurst
An Edwardian country house in long-time family ownership is run as a spa hotel, restaurant and leisure destination with facilities for golf, tennis, bowls, croquet, swimming.
Barnsley House
Cirencester
Timothy Oulton, of the eponymous furniture brand, has an eye for beautiful things, and in 2021 purchased this lovely 17th-century house in renowned gardens laid out in the 1950s by Rosemary Verey.
Find the right luxury spa hotel for you
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. The likes of Chewton Glen take the crown for being amongst the most luxurious facilities in the country, complete not only with excellent spa treatments but a wide range of facilities and knowledge that are hard to come by.
Meanwhile, the likes of Seaham Hall blend a contemporary knowledge of wellbeing with artistic integrity across the whole venue, all surrounded by rich history and contrastingly rugged coastal surroundings that juxtapose beautifully with the perfectly presented hotel and spa.
The Scarlet has a wide reaching reputation for being a spectacularly romantic hotel to visit but is also Cornwall’s ultra eco friendly low-tech solution to wellbeing travel, managing to fuse style and green credentials with the most spectacular coastal views as you sip champagne in the hot tub overlooking the wild Atlantic below. It is the sister hotel to Bedruthan Hotel and Spa, which continues the stylistic credentials of The Scarlet, but adds to it a family friendliness that appeals to a wholly different market.
Then onto another genre of spa hotel in the form of Lime Wood in the New Forest, a spectacularly hip hotel that has a reputation for its decadent restaurant overseen by celebrity chefs Angela Hartnett and Luke Holder, as well as The Herb House, its standalone spa amongst its awe-inspiring gardens, which has its own rooms to stay in, a dedication to its namesake - the herb garden and, and treatments that fuse efficacy with holistic credentials. It all comes together to make the rustic playground of the stylish set.