A comfortable pregnant pause
CHILLS OUT
PREPARING for the arrival of a new baby can be a hectic experience. So a babymoon is the ideal antidote to all the nerves, stress and exhaustion.
Unlike a honeymoon, these breaks are taken before the happy event. That’s right – there are no babies on a babymoon. It’s just you, the bump and the beau enjoying a last hurrah as a twosome before life changes.
To guarantee a peaceful hotel experience we booked into The Spa Hotel at Ribby Hall Village.
It’s an award-winning, adults-only abode set in 100 acres of Lancashire countryside, between Preston and Blackpool. The Village itself has a range of accommodation – luxury cottages, pine lodges with hot tubs, spacious holiday homes for up to 14 people, along with sports, activities and on-site entertainment in the evenings.
We were heading for the hotel’s luxurious Penthouse Suite, complete with king-sized, four-poster bed, interactive TV in the bathroom and pillow menu to ensure the perfect night’s sleep.
After unpacking, we donned our robes and slippers and headed for the spa. The hotel’s Bumps a Daisy Package for expectant mums is 90 minutes of tailor-made treatments including a prenatal massage, lower leg and foot ritual, facial cleanse, scalp massage and a file and polish to the toes, designed to leave mums-to-be feeling radiant.
At a time when it’s easy to feel like your body is no longer your own, it’s lovely to let someone else take charge of the pampering. Meanwhile, dad-tobe enjoyed a deep hot stone massage.
Swimming is one of those things I really enjoy but rarely do, so a few leisurely lengths in a beautifully warm and clean, child-free pool before dinner was nothing short of bliss.
Overnight spa break packages are available, which include dinner, breakfast and an Aqua Thermal Journey through the aroma room, saunarium, Balinese salt inhalation room, herbal sauna, outdoor rustic sauna and hydrotherapy pool. You can also book in for the day.
After a drink in the bar (a mocktail for me, of course), we headed for the light and airy Orangery restaurant and spent a gentle hourand-a-half savouring our selections, many made with local Lancashire ingredients. Starters of seasonal spiced pork cheek, celeriac remoulade, pickled pear, sticky hazelnuts or Parmesan churro, Jerusalem artichoke and preserved seasonal truffle are tempting before you enter the bland world of family-friendly dining.
My main was succulent chicken breast poached in garlic butter, with a buttermilk fried thigh and bacon.
On the staff’s recommendation we also ordered a side of Hong Kong broccoli, and it was like no broccoli I have ever tasted before. We were told it has won awards, and we weren’t surprised. Fried in batter, it was light, flavoursome, with an explosion of spices.
Bellies full (mine even fuller) we retired to our room. A big, comfortable bed is essential when you’re growing a tiny human. I had a wonderful night’s sleep and woke feeling rested.
Continuing the luxury, we began the day with breakfast brought to our room. Cereal, pastries, yogurt, fresh fruit, cold meats and cheese as well as cooked options were all on offer. We then rounded off our stay with a leisurely walk around the grounds.
This babymoon break proved to be a priceless opportunity to kick back as a couple in luxury surroundings. And with baby Billy now in tow... those cottages and character shows at Ribby Hall Village are looking very tempting!
It’s just you, the bump and the beau enjoying a last hurrah...