My lovely husband and mum bought me a night away at the lovely Whittlebury Hall, for my birthday (November 2020). Of course we were in lockdown 2.0 so I was not able to partake in my present; so it was moved to Christmas – nope we were in Level 4 so it was moved again to Mothers Day – na ah – lockdown 3.0. So I finally got to enjoy my night away in June – only 7 months after I should have had it!
On my way over to Whittlebury, I drove past the Super Sausage Cafe and decided to indulge in one of their all day breakfasts, it was delicious.
On arrival at Whittlebury Hall, I was directed to the spa reception. In terms of Covid measures to keep us safe, they had temperature monitoring machines, hand sanitisers, and we all had to wear facemasks when not in a treatment or in the heat and ice area. I have been here for a spa day pre-Covid, so it was a little strange to have a timetable and not be able to glide through your spa day, however, a spa day is better than no spa day. In my mind there is nothing better; it is my ultimate day and will always be my choice of present. I was handed an itinerary which began with my treatment, the one that was included in my spa package. I was told I could choose 2x 15 minute treatments from a list of 4. I chose the head massage and the foot massage.
It was bliss, pure bliss. First the masseur rubbed my whole body with aromatherapy oils and then the head and foot massage. She was a bit over-zealous with the foot massage; it actually hurt, so I had to ask her to calm down, but she took it in stride and it was delightful. With spas being closed due to Covid for 17 months; this really was a treat.
After my massage I was taken back out into the waiting area, to await the use of the heat and ice experience. This was the part I was disappointed with because: a) waiting around and b) I was not taken to a calm, quiet area to come down after my massage.
The heat and ice area was good; although a little limited compared to the Aqua Sana at CentreParcs (my spa of choice). However it has improved since the last time; it had heated seats, a couple of foot spas, several saunas, several steam rooms and a big hot-tub like pool in the centre. It was very slippery; so I had to go back for my sandals. I particularly miss steam rooms; I find them so relaxing and also beneficial in the winter time when you have the common cold.
After the heat and ice experience it was lunch time. Normally you get a huge buffet to choose from; but buffets are not Covid-safe so they took a pre-order from me a few days ago; and though I did not like any of the salads on the menu; they were super accommodating and allowed me a soup instead. The soup was nice; but the warm bread rolls they provided were even better (the butter was rock solid – pet peeve). The tables were spread far apart and they had several sittings to allow sanitising in between and less crowding.
After my blissful spa morning, I wandered into the hotel (attached to the spa) to enquire if my room was ready. It was not. They do not allow access to rooms until 4pm – 4pm!!! Personally, I think that is too late, particularly if you are only staying for 1 night. My husband basically paid for a 19 hour room rental, rather than a 1 night (24 hour stay). Oh well, we cannot have everything in this world.
I waited in the lounge for my room to become available. The lounge is particularly lovely. I have stayed at Whittlebury Hall many times over the years; and the lounge remains my favourite place. They have huge sofas – tonnes of them, and an open fire, they serve afternoon tea and they used to have board games in there – though I didn’t see any during this visit – please bring back the board games! I love to sit lay on the sofas and read; and today was no different. I ordered a pot of tea and kicked back whilst reading an enthralling book about a doctor working during the pandemic: “Duty of Care – one NHS doctor’s story of the Covid-19 crisis” by Dominic Pimenta. I haven’t finished it yet, but so far I have not been able to put it down.
The hotel room was pleasing and comfortable. It had a double bed, a TV with freeview, tea and coffee facilities and some nice biscuits (they were all wrapped in cellophone so that it was Covid safe, an ironing board, cupboard, a desk, safe and a large bathroom with 2 sinks, and a shower over bath. It also had a fridge, which I was pleased about as I drink a lot of water. One of my pet peeves is not having access to cold water when I travel. They also provide fans in the rooms that don’t have air conditioning, it was so warm, I really appreciated that.
For my evening meal in the main restaurant I had a lovely steak and roasted carrots, and though there was no jus or flavouring on the steak, it was delicious just the same. The cheese plate for dessert was a treat; it had a lovely mix of fruit (even fresh figs) and delicious cheeses with a generous portion of chutney.
The breakfast in the morning was a let down. It was buffet style still but the staff choose your food for you. It was not good quality, and I couldn’t find a single runny egg. I had to wait a long time for the waitress to bring my tea and toast, and I gave up waiting for the juice I ordered.
Overall I had a very lovely stay; and though the hotel could do with some refurbishment; it was still relaxing and just what I needed after the last year or so.
Feeding the Kat 