The Daily Telegraph - Saturday - Travel
Dive in to the ultimate family indulgence
Forget Netflix – real relaxation for families now means ‘spa breaks and chill’, says Hattie Garlick
The end of the school year is nigh and we all know what that means: presents for teachers! Why so gleeful? Because this was the year of homeschooling; the year in which parents of school-age children (a full 20.8 per cent of the adult population, if you count all those with kids aged five to 18) became teachers. And what’s the best gift for a frazzled parent who somehow juggled professional deadlines with fronted adverbials and in the process made approximately 60million snacks? A spa break, obviously.
We have sifted through Britain’s best spa hotels and picked out those that will keep your offspring entertained while you have the stress pummelled, steamed and stretched out of you. The best part? They still have availability for August. It’s abundantly clear that you deserve it.
CLIVEDEN
Berkshire
Meghan Markle spent her last night as a single woman at this five-star country house hotel and it’s easy to see why. Summer holiday activities at Cliveden range from archery and falconry to foraging walks and laser clay shooting (and children stay free in parents’ rooms during August, too). The worldclass spa recently launched a fully customisable menu of treatments that can be tailored to individual stresses – and the hotel can organise babysitters while you work through your list. From £1,775 (breakfast £50 extra per room); clivedenhouse.co.uk
CHEWTON GLEN
Hampshire
The original country house was built in the 18th century, but Chewton Glen’s spa underwent a refurbishment less than a year ago. Children can also stay free in their parents’ room this summer, while the Beehive kids’ club is open for private sessions during the holidays. Outdoor activities include taking Ryland “teddy bear” sheep for a walk and “messy art” sessions in the orchard – leaving you free to wallow in the hydrotherapy area (the UK’s largest) or savour an uninterrupted glass of champagne at the Pool Bar.
ROCKLIFFE HALL
County Durham
Rockliffe Hall takes spa life seriously: tepidarium, caldarium, tropicarium – name the “ium” and it’s got it. This August, the new Nu Sana restaurant opens above the spa too, promising dishes to “nourish your soul”. And while you are relaxing in the mud room, your children can get dirty in the adventure playground and nature trails, or play on the tennis court or mini putting green.
From £495, including breakfast; rockliffehall.com
LUCKNAM PARK
Wiltshire
This elegant country house hotel has a seriously impressive spa, with everything from a Japanese salt steam room to an indoor-outdoor hydrotherapy pool. This summer, the list of activities for children is seemingly infinite too: cookery, cycling, tennis, woodland walks, falconry, archery, croquet, five-a-side football and horse riding for over-threes. Its Michelin-starred restaurant, meanwhile, welcomes guests aged five and over.
From £1,089, including breakfast; lucknampark.co.uk
CELTIC MANOR RESORT
Newport
This sprawling resort in Wales’s Usk Valley encompasses three separate hotels, seven restaurants and two spas. One is currently closed, but the bigger of the two – the Forum – is ready with 16 treatment rooms offering Elemis massages, facials and scrubs. Children will love the adventure golf, high ropes, archery, laser combat, tennis coaching and designated family swim times in two pools during the school holidays. From £212, including breakfast; celtic-manor.com
WOOLLEY GRANGE
Wiltshire
Woolley Grange is a luxury hotel created specifically for families. Its spa is a separate haven, with garden views from its pool. Guests get 90 minutes of free childcare per day; enough time for an Espa treatment or Jessica manicure. Kids are welcome in the pool, and the hotel is hosting a “Woolley Country Festival” through the holidays, featuring “fresh garden pesto making” and “marshmallow toasting and campfire songs”. In August, you can also glamp in special and super-luxurious safari tents.
FOUR SEASONS HOTEL,
Hampshire
The spa here, housed in an 18th-century converted stable block, includes a mineral sauna, large indoor lap pool and outdoor vitality pool. It has also just added a new range of personalised treatments to a menu that ranges from Ayurvedic Indian massage to signature treatments inspired by the surrounding countryside. For those more into splashing than soothing, Sharkie’s reef “family adventure pool” has a slide, umbrella fountain and bubble jets. Horse riding, falconry and a high-wire obstacle course are also on offer, while this summer the hotel is hosting tennis coaching with PBI professional Nicola Reynolds and outdoor performances of The Jungle Book.
From £1,450, including breakfast; fourseasons.com/hampshire
BEAVERBROOK
Surrey
Designed by the leading stained-glass artist Brian Clarke, the spa at this wildly luxurious (and equally expensive) hotel features a hammam (the Middle Eastern variant of a steam bath), indoor and outdoor pools and six treatment rooms, each with its own garden, staffed by world-class experts. The kids’ club is unparalleled too: run by posh party entertainers Sharky & George, it takes place in an outdoor camp with giant treehouse and activities include booby-trap building and marshmallow roasting.
From £1,320; beaverbrook.co.uk
BROWN’S HOTEL
London
The oldest hotel in London is home to a compact but classy spa. The three treatment rooms (one of which is designed for couples) all have their own showers and heated beds and offer treatments using Irene Forte products (with ingredients sourced from the family’s organic farm in Sicily). It also has a treatment menu for children aged four to 16, including “Funky Fingers” manicure and “Made for Life” soothing massage, while the Jungle Book-themed children’s afternoon tea is charming (Rudyard Kipling wrote the book while staying in the hotel).
From £2,635, including breakfast; roccofortehotels.com
NEW PARK MANOR
Hampshire
Like Woolley Grange, New Park Manor is part of the Luxury Family Hotels group. Its spa accommodates an outdoor and indoor pool, steam room, sauna and hydrotherapy pool, as well as a range of treatments. Throughout the summer, yoga sessions will be suitable for the whole family, while children can learn habitat building and den-making skills in the Little New Park Rangers programme. And, of course, there’s the free 90 minutes in the crèche each day. From £379, including breakfast; newparkmanorhotel.co.uk
All rates are per night for a family of four in August and refer to availability at time of going to press