London is an amazing city but every once in a while you need a reprieve from it's frenzied activity, which can sometimes leave you fried and rattled. So, you get the idea of where I was coming from when I booked myself into a spa break at Lythe Hill.
Now this isn't really my thing. Some beauty pampering can just seem like a waste of money to me and sometimes I just don't have the patience to sit still and endure a treatment. But I was in desperate need of some relaxation, so I gave it a try.
Lythe Hill Hotel is just outside Haslemere, which is a short train journey from London. Take the briefest of tax journeys and you arrive at a number of small, lovely buildings set in amidst the trees and rolling hills of the Surrey countryside. ...Yes, you read me right, "buildings". So, this is not your typical hotel. An old Tudor house faces the road and this is where the restaurant and bar are located. The reception is a little further down driveway and to the right Ask for a password to access Internet, although it is quite a slow connection. ...You can also get there by helicopter, they have a helipad on the premises too!
My building was down a little pathway to the left, next to a green by a "lake" - it's really more of a large pond, but very serene and relaxing. I loved it! My room was HUGE! I couldn't believe my luck! The bathroom was just as big too. I really don't think my pictures did the place justice. Decorated in neutral tones with painted wood panelling. I booked the place on special offer and really got value for money.
Enter the front of the Tudor house and through a small narrow hallway you come to the bar which is in the modern extension of the building. It's small but adequate and overlooks the green and the "lake". The restaurant is split between 2 rooms. 1 is in the old building with dark wood panelling, the other is in the modern extension, again decorated in neutral tones.
The waiting staff were excellent, friendly, charming and accommodating. The food was great too, although their weren't quite as good and their savory dishes. There's a decent selection of wines and the Maitre d' is happy to offer recommendations.
The beauty spa is in a modern building further down from the Tudor house with a swmming pool, sauna, steam room, jacuzzi, etc... The beauticians were young, diminutive and very pleasant. I have to admit some of the treatments I thought a waste of time but the Body Ritual was well worth it and achieved exactly what I wanted.
De-stressed and untensed, I was reluctant to go back to London. read more