FOR THE GRAND DAME OF SPAS… Ragdale Hall Spa, Melton Mowbray

When a spa has guests coming back year after year – some for a quarter of a century or more – it must be doing something right. And padding around Ragdale’s extensive facilities (six pools, two tennis courts, 11 heat and water experiences and 65 treatment rooms) in a fluffy white robe, you can see why it inspires such loyalty. For a start, it’s totally unpretentious; there are no ‘influencers’ taking selfies in the rooftop infinity pool, even though the views are definitely worth posting about. Nor does anyone care if you stay in your gown for breakfast, lunch and dinner, or dress up for cocktails in the bar.

Staff are warm and friendly, the food is delicious and the original red-brick Victorian country house has been so extended over the years, you can always find somewhere hidden away where you can relax. More than 100 experienced therapists offer treatments by Decléor, Clarins and Elemis, as well as many unique to Ragdale – try the Sea Magik Pro Tropical Coconut Flotation if you want to feel (and smell) like you’ve spent a week in the Caribbean (£75 for 50 minutes). Your body is cleansed, polished and cocooned in a blend of coconut, lychee and sweet almond oil while you’re immersed in a dry flotation tank and given a scalp massage. Bliss!

NEED TO KNOW Ragdale has such a cult-like following that you can even buy ‘London, Paris, New York, Ragdale’ mugs in the gift shop (and yes, GH did bring one home!).

 Accommodation from £432pp (two-night stay minimum, includes one treatment); spa days from £130 on weekdays; evening spa experiences from £75 on weekdays (ragdalehall.co.uk)