Living the high life in North Yorkshire
THE MAJESTIC HOTEL AND ITS SPA LIVE UP TO THEIR NAMES
STEPPING foot into the fashionable ‘spa resort’ of Yorkshire, I had high hopes for a relaxing weekend ahead. Famed for its rich heritage, it seemed fitting that Harrogate was home to The Majestic Hotel, which is recognised as the town’s ‘finest address’.
The Victorian hotel is one of the DoubleTree by Hilton branches and sits in beautifully landscaped gardens that overlook the town.
It’s the perfect combination of traditional meets contemporary, with the fine Victorian details honoured throughout the hotel, originally built in 1899, which compliment the modern decor.
Get set for marble floors, chic Victorian bathrooms, stylish furniture and chandeliers - it’s got it all.
The Harrogate Spa is the latest exclusive addition to the hotel, boasting a 12.5 metre indoor pool, six treatment rooms and a range of therapeutic thermal experiences.
It was a grey and rainy day when we arrived, but that didn’t dampen spirits as I walked through the doors of the impressive building.
The marble interior screamed class - high ceilings made it feel spacious and airy and there was certainly a sophisticated feel to the hotel.
Strolling into reception, we were greeted with a polite and pleasant service and offered a warm DoubleTree Chocolate Chip Cookie - much to our delight.
Always one for a bit of pampering, it was fair to say a visit to the spa was high on my agenda. One word to describe it? Luxury.
As far as first impressions go, The Harrogate Spa is up there. It’s modern and classy with new state of the art facilities, but not at all pretentious and was very fitting with the rest of the hotel.
On offer at the spa is a whole host of treatments including ESPA Inner Calm Massage, ESPA Hot Stone Massage, Restore and Rebalance Ritual, Thalgo Rituals and Mud Rasul Ritual.
We opted for the ESPA Back, Face and Scalp treatment and it was everything you’d hope it would be.
We were introduced to our therapists who led us to a tranquil and spacious treatment room. It was a short walk from the main pool area but we were there in no time.
Before we started, we were guided through exactly what our treatments entailed and knew what to expect, putting our curiosity at ease.
The massage was heavenly, unravelling tension and the knots in my back were soon eliminated.
My inner calm was fully restored - as promised - helped by a delightful back exfoliation, back massage along with an inner beauty facial and scalp massage.
We came away not only feeling replenished, our therapists gave us an education on their recommended skin care routines which we fully appreciated. Their professionalism and knowledge only bettered our experience at The Harrogate Spa.
Following this, and wanting to prolong our serenity, we decided to make full use of the spa facilities.
Soaking up the benefits, we dipped into the warm indoor pool and checked off multiple lengths.
Furthering our tranquil journey, we relaxed in the Himalayan salt sauna, steam room and experience shower and cooled off with the help of the ice fountain, before lounging around on the sunbeds for a half hour or two.
As expected, the changing rooms were chic with all the equipment you would expect at this type of establishment - hairdryers, lockers controlled by keypad and prestige - and complimentary - shampoo, conditioner and bodywash.
The hotel is very grand, boasting 184 modern guest bedrooms along with event spaces, all nicely spaced out under the roof of the characterful hotel.
A space worthy of praise has to be the main lobby and bar area, which holds perfectly maintained pillars, high ceilings and charming 19th century architecture.
A grand staircase leads you up to many well-maintained corridors, home to the elegant bedrooms.
Our spacious bedroom was clean, with a fantastic bathroom which mirrored the Victorian interior throughout the entire building.
It was very peaceful too. Our bedroom overlooked the front of the hotel, out onto the car park, so there wasn’t much of a view. However, you couldn’t hear any noise coming from outside.
In the main restaurant we enjoyed a lovely evening meal. We indulged in a delicious two-course set menu, brought to us by well-mannered and considerate staff who weren’t shy to ensure we were having a grand time.
We tucked into the grilled fillet of mackerel for starters, followed by the charred leg of lamb which came