Whole in one
The food was fine, but the real unexpected treat was watching the Saracens rugby team receiving a team talk in the courtyard before their match at Sale Sharks, just down the road.
I’m not sure if it was the excitement, food, Guinness, massages or a combination of everything, but we were flagging. Our king-size bed beckoned.
The next morning, after doing our best to sample all the comprehensive breakfast buffet had to offer, I explored the hotel grounds while Rose returned to the spa for a facial (I’m reliably informed that at €45 it was excellent value for money).
The hotel, conference facilities and golf course – which recently had a €17million makeover – have stood on the former Worsley New Hall site since 1998.
With spa facilities – including a pool, sauna, steam room and gym – there’s enough to keep you occupied for a weekend.
But if you want to burn off those breakfast calories, leafy Worsley village and the Bridgewater Canal are short walk away.
Alternatively, you could take advantage of the jewel in the hotel’s crown – its golf course.
Saturdays at Worsley Park are all about golf. From midmorning,
Tempo, the property’s sports bar, starts filling up with Pringle sweaters and Callaway caps ready to tee off.
If you’re a novice, there’s a shop with equipment to buy or hire – and resident pro David Screeton is available for lessons. We weren’t feeling overly active Jon makes a mojito Worsley’s lovely rooms and relaxing treatments
so we passed a few hours in the spa, before a couple of perfect steaks at the hotel’s upmarket Grill in the Park.
With direct links to Manchester, Worsley Park is popular with football teams playing at United and City.
One corridor is adorned with signed shirts from European teams. If it’s good enough for Marseille...
I’ve always fancied myself as a master mixologist.
So when we were offered a cocktail-making masterclass at Worsley Park’s Brew Bar, I was pretty excited.
We were shown exactly how to mix our favourite tipples. I went for a mojito (boring, I know) and my wife a pink fizz prosecco.
There was stirring, shaking, crushing and cork-popping.
In my head, I was Tom Cruise in Cocktail, but Jack Duckworth in the Rovers Return was probably closer to the mark...