THE PEAK DISTRICT
What: A healing waters spa weekend for one
Where: The Buxton Crescent Health Spa Hotel in Buxton
How much: Rooms from £125 per night, including breakfast; ensanahotels.com
Healing waters, you say...
Yes. Buxton’s natural thermal springs make it the Midlands’ answer to Bath. Folk have flocked there through the ages to take a dip in the town’s pools, fabled to provide a cure for everything from arthritis to sciatica. And now a new generation of wellness seekers are descending, thanks to the opening of the Buxton
Crescent Health Spa Hotel, which houses an original Victorian spa bath in its basement, complete with a stained-glass dome.
Tell me about the spa...
Ahh, the spa. When you’re not floating in warm thermal water, there’s an entire spa to enjoy, complete with two steam rooms, three saunas and therapy rooms for treatments like mud packs from Hungary (said to ease muscles and joints). But the pièce de résistance is the salt cave, which is thought to ease everything from minor ailments, such as coughs, to sinusitis, asthma and even symptoms of depression. Looking for a workout? There’s a well-equipped gym, as well as yoga and Pilates classes and a delightful rooftop hydrotherapy pool, where you can swim beneath the stars – or, in my case, rain (it is winter in Derbyshire).
Good for a solo stay, then?
Yes. For a bells-and-whistles meal for one, eat in The Dining Room – the cod fillet with samphire, fennel and mussels is delicious – and if you’re in the mood for more casual dining, there’s also a spa cafe and lounge bar. The bedrooms are elegant and grand, much like the rest of the hotel, and while the four-poster beds and chandeliers make a great space for couples, I much preferred the cosy loft rooms, where you can curl up with a book under the wooden beams. There’s also a table and chair if you fancy eating in your room (the room service menu is substantial).
Anything else I should know?
Ask at reception if you can have a peek at the Blue Room and Ballroom and the hand-painted ceilings, chandeliers and arched windows. Also, do book a tour of Poole’s Cavern, a cave filled with jawdropping stalagmites and stalactites (yep, I was listening). Oh, and before you leave, fill up your water bottle with the thermal water that flows freely from St Anne’s Well, opposite the hotel.