SPA GAZING

LEAVE YOUR WORRIES BEHIND - IF ONLY FOR A NIGHT - AT AN INDULGENT COUNTRY HOUSE HOTEL 

- EMMA JONES

BOWOOD HOTEL, SPA & GOLF RESORT, CALNE, WILTSHIRE

What’s your relaxation style? Luxuriating in an indoor infinity pool soaking up breathtaking parkland views, perhaps, enjoying dinner in a grand dining room as deer graze nearby, or maybe sampling an aromatherapy shower and crystal steam room? It’s all on offer at this 43-room hotel set in 2,000 acres of gorgeous grounds and a short stroll from Bowood House, the Georgian home of the Marquis and Marchioness of Lansdowne.

Although a modern building, the hotel is decorated in English country-house style, with impressive fireplaces, book-lined walls and seating nooks. The spa offers elegant treatment rooms designed by Lady Lansdowne. I chose a Work It Out detoxing massage designed to stimulate circulation to improve lymph drainage – and asked for a firm pressure to unknot my aching muscles. The juniper, lavender and cypress essential oils left my skin feeling incredibly soft, while a post-massage herbal tea in the relaxation room ensured the Zen mood stayed with me.

Overnight guests will be impressed by the dinner menu and breakfast, too.

THE GROVE, CHANDLER'S CROSS, HERTFORDSHIRE