WILTSHIRE

WHAT? Lucknam Park WHERE? Chippenham, Wiltshire HOW MUCH? Rooms from £295 per night; lucknampark.co.uk WHO? Paula Williams, WH contributor WHY THIS SPA? If you’re looking for the best of British grandeur, Lucknam Park delivers. Just six miles from Bath, you could make for the spa town or take a day trip to Stonehenge or Longleat, but I bet you won’t want to once you’ve settled into your velvet-laden mansion house room. The only thing likely to drag you away is the well-equipped spa. It features the usual suspects – pool, gym, sauna – but also ticks some more unlikely, luxurious boxes with saltwater plunge pools and reflective sunlight therapy. The spa staff get a massive thumbs up for being so wonderfully welcoming, chatty and happy to cater to your every whim. For a place that makes you feel like you could take on Lady Mary in the upper-class stakes, there’s no pretension at all. GO FOR THE… ESPA Personalised Facial. I love a bespoke beauty treatment and this hour-long session delivered. First up, my therapist got me to sniff a variety of oils and choose my favourites in line with how I was feeling – my picks pointed to a brightening treatment, but others promote hydration, balance and age-defying regeneration. My skin was inspected under a blue light to show any issues or areas for improvement not discernible to the naked eye. Action plan sorted, on to an indulgent but hard-working triple cleanse, exfoliation, face mask and a final sweep of booster serum; all of which I very nearly slept my way through thanks to the amazing stages of massage that saw my therapist stroke and knead my head, face, neck and shoulders into soporific bliss. I left the bed with happier, healthier skin. SPECIAL MENTION In the market for a new four-legged friend? The hotel has an equestrian centre so you can hop on a horse and take in some of the 500 acres of Cotswolds parkland at your disposal.