Approaching Lucknam park felt a bit like appearing on the set of Downton Abbey, what with all the playful horses peering over the fences to your left and stunning rolling hills to your right.
We drove under a long beautiful arch of dense trees that subtly dappled the sunlight and a warm welcome awaited from their friendly staff.
The entrance hall housed large sofas that were plumped to perfection and every cushion had a strategic dent in the top. Once we had been settled in the reception area we were taken through the hotel where large paintings of wealthy looking people stared into the far distance.
As we entered our room the view instantly captured my attention, We stayed in room 8 (Tea Rose Room) and our bags were waiting for us along with complimentary champagne and chocolates.
The bathroom décor was slightly dated but still beautiful with marble floors and sink providing plenty of space to spread out and feel at home. The bed was wide and grand and dominated the room.
Once we had cracked open the champagne (we didn’t hold back) we headed down to the spa in our fluffy white robes across a pruned courtyard. The spa was beautifully kept and quite modern in contrast to the main hotel building with an abundance of towels, magazines and fresh water.
I was invited to my first treatment that afternoon which was a facial with a head and shoulder massage, I felt so relaxed and my skin was glowing afterwards with a radiance that can only come after an hour of beautiful creams and cleansers. The beautician was very friendly and advised me on treatment for my skin type.
After our spa treatments we were served herbal tea with strawberries in the relaxation room on large loungers. I was eyeing up the plunge pool from a distance, which was rather like a large jacuzzi, started on the inside next to pool with a little door that took you outside into the gardens. Having politely sipped on my tea I pattered across the floors into the bubbles and ended up staying there for quite some time just floating and gazing across the various plants – total bliss.
Feeling refreshed and relaxed from our treatments we went for dinner starting with duck egg crumbed with asparagus alongside sweet pea and wild garlic risotto with shitake mushrooms.
We both had fillet steak which was perfectly cooked medium rare with a crisp exterior followed by a Margarita and Whiskey sour, as we were too full for pudding but never too full for a cocktail, naturally.
We spent the evening strolling around the gardens like very full and satisfied lions after a big feed. The gardens are extremely well kept with verging on ridiculous amounts of topiary and apples and pear vines growing along the walls. The central courtyard is like a model village in full scale.
The following day we were politely woken by room service with a full English breakfast, warm pastries and gallons of tea and coffee. We took our time sampling all of the delights before us and admiring the real silver tea pots and crockery, I’m easily impressed.
Without a need to get dressed I simply threw on my fluffy robe and headed back down to the spa for even more treatments.
What followed was utter indulgence with a full body herbal massage in their new well being centre which houses a yoga room and a sun therapy room. Before my massage I was wrapped up and lowered into the flotation tank which, I must admit felt a little constricted but as soon as I began to relax to the music I almost drifted off.
My full herbal body massage began with a foot bath and a light oil, then steam infused pouches of herbs were tactically rubbed from toes to fingers. A final herbal compress was placed on my stomach to help aid digestion which I probably needed after my king size breakfast. I had my eyes shut throughout but am pretty sure the therapist also used warm gloves to exfoliate my skin which felt sublime.
Slightly wobbly I made my way back into the spa for a final bubble in the plunge pool.
We decided it was time to leave the spa and so we got showered, dressed and headed to the drawing room for some late lunch.
With about 10 chairs and sofa layouts to chose from we finally rested on a large sofa, the waiter delicately placed a crisp white sheet on our table.
To avoid the guilt of spending over 12 hours in a spa we decided to catch a bit of the sites of the grounds and so went for a bike ride to see the horses. They had plenty of tracks for walking and cycling and also a riding school, cookery school, archery lessons and clay pigeon shooting. Lucknam Park doesn’t feel like a hotel but more like a home and there’s always plenty to do.
I have never felt more relaxed and looked after than at Lucknam Park and I would highly recommend it for a romantic weekend away.
Written by Elizabeth Danon
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