Relaxing Spa Retreats in Great Britain
Here are some of the top spas which are a #MustDo on your honeymoon in Great Britain.
After the hustle and bustle of your wedding, the perfect way to unwind, relax, rejuvenate and get into honeymoon mode is to treat yourselves to a spa session. Here are some of the best spa experiences across England, Scotland, Northern Ireland and Wales.
Herb House at Lime Wood Hotel, New Forest
Set in a 17-acre plot in the heart of the New Forest, Lime Wood Hotel is a converted hunting lodge that dates back nearly 8 centuries! The views stretch out for miles and you can enjoy them from the outdoor, hot pool at the Herb House Spa a contemporary, three-story outbuilding in the grounds.
Treat yourself to a touch of the exotic when you start the day with a yoga session on the rooftop garden and then amble to a relaxing dip in the heated indoor pool. You can ask for holistic and Ayurvedic therapies and refuel at the raw food café or with a juice freshly squeezed from fruit just picked from the garden.
Where is it? In Hampshire, two hours and 40 minutes south of London by car.
Espa Life at the Corinthia Hotel, London
One of the capital’s top spas occupies four floors of the Corinthia Hotel London, a beautiful belle-epoque property between iconic Trafalgar Square and the river Thames. Clad in sleek black marble, the spa features a mosaic steam room, an amphitheatre sauna, a pool and cosy sleep pods. It’s posh pampering you can expect across any of the 17 treatment rooms where the wellness programmes have been devised by naturopaths, osteopaths, acupuncturists and herbalists. Upstairs, the opulent hotel is studded with chandeliers and features two grand restaurants, a mini branch of Harrods and sumptuous bedrooms.
Where is it? In central London, nearest tube: Embankment
Serenity Spa at Seaham Hall, County Durham
Set dramatically on a clifftop, overlooking the enchanting Durham Heritage coast, Seaham Hall’s interesting history includes being the wedding venue of the romantic poet Lord Byron in 1815.
The Georgian manor house has since undergone a contemporary revamp and is home to the award-winning Serenity Spa. The hotel connects to the spa via an underground walkway. Once in, you’ll be delighted with the huge indoor pool, a hydrotherapy bath, a crystal steam room and a hammam. Work up a sweat in the state-of-the-art gym or take an aerobics class. Then refuel at the spa restaurant Ozone which specializes in healthy Asian-fusion dishes.
Where is it? In Seaham, a 40-minute drive north-east of Newcastle.
Blythswood Square Spa, Glasgow
Named after the square that it sits on, this grand Georgian townhouse is one of Glasgow’s glitziest hotels. The rooms may feature Harris tweed and original wood paneling but the basement spa is ultra-modern with a crystal steam room, heated stone loungers and two relaxation pools. Many of the treatments use Ishga products, which are made on the Isle of Lewis using hand-harvested seaweed.
Where is it? In central Glasgow, a 10-minute walk from Glasgow Central Station.
The Scarlet, Cornwall
The Scarlet is both eco-friendly and super stylish. Furnished in blonde wood and local artwork, this sunny retreat overlooking a top surf beach is a grown-up getaway. Children 18 and under are not permitted. The spa is perched on the clifftop and is a treat with log-fired hot tubs on a terrace overlooking the sea and a reed-filtered alfresco swimming pool.
Your treatments begin with a consultation and a bathing ritual and are centred on Ayurvedic ‘journeys’. There are daily free yoga sessions and you can energize yourself with surf lessons, wild swimming classes ansd tree climbing excursions. When it’s time to recharge, pick a canvas sleep pod suspended from the ceiling in the deep relaxation room and snooze.
Where is it? In Cornwall, south-west England, five hours from London by car.
Soho Farmhouse, Oxfordshire
The Soho Farmhouse is set in the valley in the heart of the famed Cotswolds and is both a hipster hideaway and a members club. You don’t have to be a member to stay though. No less than 40 cosy cabins are dotted around the farmland’s original 18th-century buildings and guests are ferried around the resort in reconditioned 1950s milk floats.
A purpose-built boating lake surrounds an island on which the spa has been constructed. There’s an indoor-outdoor pool, a sauna, a hot tub, an ice bath and outdoor showers. All treatments use the house brand Cowshed products and if your hair is in need of a revamp, there’s an outpost of posh Notting Hill hair salon, Josh Wood, on site.
Where is it? In the Cotswolds, a two-hour drive from London by car.
Galgorm Resort & Spa, Northern Ireland
Imagine a 163-acre estate and a classic country house with its romantic exposed beams, stone walls, roaring fires. Designed using local stone and natural wood, the spa features indoor-outdoor thermal pools, log-fired hot tubs and a post-sauna ice room. Many of the treatments use products made from locally-farmed seaweed. At the edge of the River Maine, there’s also a thermal village, accessible to all hotel guests. Get your blood pumping with the activities on offer in the local area including mountain biking, horse riding and walking and jogging trails.
Where is it? In County Antrim, a 50-minute drive north of Belfast.
Lake Vyrnwy Hotel & Spa, Wales
For a spot of pampering with dreamy views head to the Lake Vyrnwy Hotel & Spa. This Victorian retreat has sublime views of Lake Vyrnwy and its fairy tale tower. Located on a nature reserve 900 feet above sea level, the focus here is very much on rest and relaxation. Indulge in an Espa treatment or just sit and ponder in the hot tub as you gaze out to the water. The thermal suite consists of experience showers, a salt steam room, a sauna and an ice fountain.
Where is it? In mid Wales, a two-hour drive west of the city of Birmingham.
Gilpin Lake House
A couple of miles from Lake Windermere, Gilpin Lake House is a taste of Scandinavian style in the heart of the Lake District. A luxury of space awaits you – the resort has only six individually decorated suites, a jetty-spa on a private lake, across 100 acres of estate. This spacious sanctuary features a cedarwood hot tub, a heated swimming pool and a treatment room kitted out with blonde wood and a contemporary fireplace. One of the top treatments is a couples’ spa ‘journey’: treat yourself to a consultation, a guided walk along a woodland trail, a couples’ massage and finish with a glass of champagne in the outdoor hot tub.
Where is it? In the Lake District, a two-hour drive north of the city of Manchester.
Ragdale Hall Health Hydro & Thermal Spa, Melton Mowbray
Don a fluffy robe and prepare to feel well and truly pampered at this dedicated spa retreat in the Leicestershire countryside. Most of the bedrooms are located in the main ivy-clad Victorian country house and a range of outbuildings house top facilities including an indoor-outdoor waterfall pool, a volcanic salt bath, an exercise pool with underwater gym equipment and a cave-style pool lit by candles. There are daily classes and more than a hundred treatments and activities available.
Where is it? In Leicestershire, an hour and 20-minute drive east of the city of Birmingham.
To book your honeymoon, please call Mercury Travels on 1800 266 2345 or write to them at outbound@mercurytravels.in
