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Spas and retreats: The Natural Health Spa Awards 2012

Our pick of the most laid-back, luxurious, holistic and value-for-money retreats in the country

Our pick of the most laid-back, luxurious, holistic and value-for-money retreats in the country
The burgeoning UK spa industry goes from strength to strength, and there are so many outstanding destinations to choose from that it’s sometimes a struggle to know where to start. But never fear – our Natural Health ‘spa spies’ have scoured the length and breadth of the country to find the best on offer. So whether you’re looking for a pampering day spa, a country retreat or a glamorous city break – we’ve got it covered. Turn the page to see who comes top of our league this year!

BEST NEW SPA: The Limewood Spa

SPA STYLE

One of the most exciting retreats to open in recent years, this über-chic country escape ticks all the boxes when it comes to luxurious yet laidback pampeting. Just an hour outside of London this former Regency manor in the heart of the New Forest has got something for everyone and once you arrive we guarantee you’ll never want to leave. The recently opened Herb House Spa is set over three floors with hot pools and thermal rooms including the massive forest sauna, steam house, mud house and caldarium. It also boasts a state-of-the-art roof top gym with magical rural views and a 16 metre ozone-treated indoor pool that opens on to the garden. Pampering treatments have sterling holistic credentials with offerings from Tri-Dosha, Bamford Organics, Nude and Voya while health classes range from body pump and zumba to yoga and tai chi.

THE MEAL DEAL

Head chef Luke Holder is a culinary mind-reader and has devised the sort of menu you dream about. Make sure you’re hungry as you’ll want to order everything twice. The hotel even has its own forager so many of the dishes are based on fruits, vegetables and seafood from the New Forest or Hampshire coast, while the rest of the menu is sourced from local and organic suppliers. Choose from the glamorous but laidback Dining Room or the chilled-out Scullery, which brings a country house kitchen feel to the hotel with its huge, open fireplaces, flagstoned-floor and old farmhouse dressers.

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Rooms are complete and utter heaven and combine contemporary design with classic décor for a relaxing vibe. Cool details include cosy bed socks and a classic Louis Armstrong CD while the bathrooms boast free-standing baths, power showers and Bamford Organics toiletries.

THE DETAILS

Costs from £245 a night. A two night Detox Thyme break costs from £845 per person and includes a full body MOT, two treatments each and full board. For details call 02380 287177 or go to limewood.co.uk

BEST ANTI-AGEING SPA: London Syon Park

SPA STYLE

Located within the serene surroundings of the Duke of Northumberland’s London estates, the chic and cosmopolitan London Syon Park offers all the peace and quiet of the country just seven miles from the centre of the capital.

Deriving its name from the Greek for ‘beautiful’, the hotel’s Kallima Spa combines gorgeous spa facilities with specialist antiageing and rejuvenation treatments from cosmetic surgeon to the stars, Alex Karidis so you can emerge from your stay looking ten years younger!

THE MEAL DEAL

Choose from the high-end Capablility which does fine dining with a contemporary twist, the funky Clubhouse which serves tapas-style plates or Brownies for yummy treats. Much of the menu is grown under the watchful eye of executive chef Lee Streeton so herbs, fruits, vegetables and teas are harvested throughout the year, ensuring that dishes are seasonal, organic and completely delicious.

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Bedrooms are seriously swanky. Classical décor is teamed with modern elements such as sculptural glass shard chandeliers, swathes of exotic silk and massive Apple TVs. Bathooms are huge and finished in timeless marble and limestone with heated floors, walk-in illuminated rain showers, deep soak tubs and Asprey toilettries.

BEST CITY SPA: St Pancras Renaissance

Designed and and built by top Victorian architect Sir George Gilbert Scott, this gothic architectureal gem reopened last year to become one of London’s most iconic and romantic hotels. The magnificent interior has been restored to its former glory with painstaking attention to detail using expert teams of hundreds of craftsmen.

The spa itself is an amazing subterranean sanctuary built in the original underground kitchens and features a Victorian tiled relaxation pool with hydro loungers and traditional sauna, a therapeutic steam room and a relaxation lounge for guests. What’s more, it is one of only two spas in the UK to offer the exlusive natural French brand Cinq Mondes. Treatments on offer range from £15 to £345 and include the ko-bi-do facial which incorporates ancient Japanese massage techniques; the udvartana ayurvedic slimming ritual from India; and the papaya radiance scrub from Thailand.

The spa is an amazing subterranean sanctuary built in the original underground kitchens

THE MEAL DEAL

Re-live the glamour of the Victorian era at the sophisticated and buzzy Booking Office bar which is based in the impressive original ticket office and features delicious British classics, such as smoked mackerel pate and chicken and mushroom pie and boutique ciders and ales. Or, if you’re feeling a bit flash, opt for the Gilbert Scott restaurant, which is run by the inimitable Marcus Wareing and boasts some of the capital’s most celebrated cooking.Either way, you certainly won’t be disappointed.

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The dreamy bedrooms are the ultimate cosmopolitan fantasy, with soaring ceilings, stunning architecture and incredible attention to detail. Beds are massive and come with the softest cotton sheets and down-filled duvets, while the marbleclad bathrooms are stocked with luxurious bathrobes and delicious Ren treats. If you can, bag one of the rooms overlooking the station and watch the Eurostar trains arriving from Paris for a truly continental feel.

THE DETAILS

Costs from £225 a night with spa and beauty treatments starting at £15. For details call 0207 41 3540 or go to stpancrasrenaissance.com

BEST CULTURAL BREAK: The Macdonald Randolph

SPA STYLE

This wonderful five star hotel in the heart of historic Oxford gives you access to all the impressive architecture and ancient tradition of this celebrated academic city – right on your doorstep. The tranquil spa is set in the hotel’s underground cellars, and the small-but perfectly formed establishment offers a range of excellent face and body treatments from holistic brand, Decleor. Try the Aroma Ultimate Body Massage and personalise your treatment to relax, detox or energise. All the therapists are highly skilled and come thoroughly recommended.

Afterwards go for a dip in the jacuzzi or a spell in the sauna session, followed by a sensation shower which imparts delightful aromatherapy scents to lift your mood.

THE MEAL DEAL

The restaurant is double AA rosette-winning and the food a real treat, with the contemporary-yet-classic British menu planned around the seasons. Don’t miss out on the smoked salmon, which offers a real theatrical experience as melt-in-the-mouth slices are carved from the whole fish at your table.

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Executive suits are grand, classical and extremely spacious considering the city-centre location. The beds are absolutely huge, soft and luxurious.

THE DETAILS

A one night spa package for two people costs from £351 including dinner, bed and breakfast with a one hour treatment each and use of the spa facilities. For details call 01865 256 400 or go to macdonaldhotels.co.uk

BEST VALUE SPA: The Lifehouse Spa

SPA STYLE

The newly opened hotel and spa near Thorpe-le-Soken in the heart of the Essex countryside is contemporary, bright and modish. While the atmosphere is convivial and laid-back, the team of expert therapists are serious about delivering a first-rate service. The oriental bathing experience is the spa’s signature treatment and involves a foot massage, full body exfoliation, hot stone massage and a soak in two baths. The manicure and pedicure room could be a salon in itself, with room for 15 guests, it has a buzzy atmosphere and looks out over the building’s lovely listed gardens. Plus, there is a sauna, steam room, salt inhalation room and even an ice-cold plunge pool if you’re feeling brave enough.

THE MEAL DEAL

Forget bland legumes and wimpy-looking lettuce leaves – eating at the Lifehouse’s Water Lilies restaurant is all about enjoying delicious, wholesome food. And, while there are more virtuous choices, the locally-sourced Dedham Vale beef with home-made chips is worth indulging in.

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Rooms are swanky and spotless with thoughtful touches such as real coffee and a set of GHD straighteners. The power shower is a treatment in itself!

THE DETAILS

A one night stay including lunch, three course dinner and full use of all the spa facilities costs from £95 per person. For details call 01255 860050 or go to lifehouse.co.uk

BEST NEW DETOX RETREAT: Anamchara Detox

SPA STYLE

Set deep in the heart of the gentle Somerset countryside this new detox centre is based at Moorleaze Farm, a five star luxury retreat a few miles outside Frome. The week-long breaks offer not only juice fasting but an array of top-notch classes and workshops ranging from yoga, pilates and aquacise in the lovely 18-metre pool to massage, NLP and nutritional consultations. A great place to rejuvenate body and soul and shed a few pounds in the process.

THE MEAL DEAL

Feast on delicious organic juices using a variety of vegetables and fruits in season. On the last day you’ll be treated to a fascinating raw food demonstration and then given the opportunity to break your fast on the freshly prepared delicacies.

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Rooms are stylish and minimal while the common living areas are beautifully furnished and ideal for relaxing or chatting to some of the other wonderfully like-minded people you’ll meet there.

COSTS

A weeks costs from £845. For details call 0207 603 7744 or go to anamcharadetox.com

BEST COUNTRY RETREAT: The Devonshire Arms

Set in the heart of the Yorkshire Dales National Park – some of the most achingly beautiful countryside in England – this is the perfect place to visit if you want to lace up your boots and go stomping across hill and vale. However, if walking isn’t your thing, there are loads of other bracing country pursuits to indulge in, including hunting, shooting and fishing. Failing that you could just hole up in the Health Barn, the lovely little spa built in the former pig sheds, where you can swim, sauna and have deliciously relaxing ESPA treatments.

THE MEAL DEAL

Choose from the upmarket Michelin-starred Burlington Restaurant, the modern Devonshire Brasserie, or afternoon tea in the lounges which feature big, squashy sofas, real log fires and a chilled out vibe. Food is locally-sourced and mouth-wateringly good.

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Rooms look out over the glorious rolling countryside and are old-school luxurious with huge inviting beds and all the mod cons.

THE DETAILS

The Sleep and Beauty package costs from £155 per person and includes dinner in The Devonshire Brasserie, one night’s accommodation, breakfast and a one-hour beauty therapy treatment each. For details call 01756 710441 or visit devonshirehotels.co.uk

BEST DAY SPA: The Sequoia Spa at the Grove

SPA STYLE

Set in 300 acres of perfectly manicured Hertfordshire countryside, and one of only a handful of ESPA ayurvedic retreats in the world, the Sequoia Spa is a seriously opulent affair. Head out of town and make a day of it by booking one of their luxurious spa packages – the soothing holistic treatments will leave you wafting around in a state of utter bliss. Later, visit the gorgeous black slate, ozone-treated pool which elevates swimming to an art form.

THE MEAL DEAL

Choose from fine dining in the glamorous Colette’s; relaxing gastropub-style cuisine in The Stables overlooking the golf course; upmarket buffet-style fayre in the Glasshouse or afternoon tea in one of the exquisite reception rooms or lounges in the hotel.

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If you do decide to stay the night, expect total indulgence from the footballers’ favourite. The five star rooms have all the mod cons, including massive TVs that rise from the bottom of the bed at a flick of switch, decadent furnishings, minibars stocked with vintage wines and vast marbled bathrooms.

THE DETAILS

An afternoon spa break costs from £145 per person and includes use of all the spa facilities, an 80 minute treatment and afternoon tea. To book call 01923 294294 or visit thegrove.co.uk.