THE BUBBLE RATINGS
Cliveden Spa Berkshire
C-Side at Cowley Manor Gloucestershire
Donnington Valley Hotel and Spa Berkshire
Neoclassical mansion Cliveden House, once notorious for its celeb parties, is now a luxurious hotel. The beautifully refurbished spa is set in a walled garden brimming with roses and lavender. Treatments are performed on waterbeds using Oskia and Cliveden products. Book private yoga, Tai Chi or tennis sessions, or drape decadently around the hot tubs, pools, sauna and steam room. The heated outdoor pool, where Minister John Profumo first glimpsed actress Christine Keeler in 1961, is now listed – you can bathe in its infamy, however virtuous you may have been in the spa.
Cowley Manor is an impressive, quirky hotel in the rural Cotswolds. The glass-fronted C-Side Spa is an inspired piece of modern design, sunk into the hill to one side of the hotel. The slate-lined indoor pool and outdoor heated pool are a real treat, as are the relaxing treatments with Green and Spring products, created using the spring waters and herbs from the grounds of the hotel. Highlights include the pamper picnics, poolside bar and, if you're staying, fabulous bedrooms. Make time to check out the art work scattered around the grounds.
01628 668 561 clivedenhouse.co.uk
01242 870 900 cowleymanor.com
01635 551 188 donningtonvalley.co.uk
Eastwell Manor a Champneys Spa Hotel
Eden Hall Day Spa
Eforea Spa at the Doubletree by Hilton Hotel & Spa Liverpool
Kent
This 450-year-old Neo-Elizabethan manor set in acres of verdant parkland is now a Champneys Spa Hotel. The Old Pavilion has been transformed into a modern spa, with a 20-metre indoor pool, sauna, steam room, hydrotherapy pool and 20 treatment rooms. Enjoy locally-sourced, healthy meals in the spa restaurant then curl up in the relaxation room with views of the North Downs. Feeling active? Champneys offer a range of exercise classes, or try tennis, croquet and falconry in the topiary gardens.
0843 224 1700 eastwellmanor.co.uk 94 | Wellness |
MAKING THE MOST OF YOUR SPA TIME
Nottinghamshire
Eden Hall is a grand mansion set within acres of luscious lawns and lavender-filled gardens. Once crammed with plants from the farthest corners of the empire, the huge conservatory is now a bright relaxation area. The large day spa has facilities inside and out: heat up in the thermal rooms, try the salt-water pool or watch the sunset from the outdoor hot tubs. Eden Hall does what it sets out to do very well – it's an accessible spa with keen pricing, quality treatments and good facilities.
01636 525 555 edenspa.co.uk
Donnington Valley is a large, modern hotel just near the M4. The surrounding Berkshire countryside makes it a quiet but accessible retreat. There's an 18-metre pool, steam room, sauna and aroma room downstairs, where the modern white design complements the bold artwork on the walls. Upstairs is a much more relaxed spa area decked out in cool, earthy tones. The good service, decadent treatments, peaceful upstairs area, and lovely terrace make for a very enjoyable spa day.
Merseyside
Eforea Spa is part of the Liverpool Doubletree Hilton Hotel in the heart of the vibrant city. The spa is small but, through some ingenuity and careful design, they've packed a lot in. Try the 10-metre relaxation pool, the bubbly vitality pool, red-coloured sauna and the glowing, berryscented steam room. We love the ‘transition’ room, a calm, cocooning space with subdued lighting and muted colours.
0151 556 1222 doubletreeliverpool.co.uk/spa