Paul Hooper, our regional globe trotter ends his hectic trip by relaxing…

October 22nd, 2009

A relaxing end to a hectic ‘Heck of a summer’

It seems so long ago that we embarked on our ‘One heck of a summer’ and have been ‘on-the-go’ so it seemed appropriate, as a finale, to recover from the jet lag of New York with a ‘Deluxe Spa Break’ at the 70 room Rookery Hall country house hotel and spa.

It was the first time I had been to a spa and I was relieved that it was relatively quiet and I was not the only male!

We lazed in the ‘Amber Lounge’ before our first two treatments; a full body scrub and massage and then, a deep-cleansing aromatherapy facial. Pausing only to take photos for the blog, various creams and oils were worked into my face (or at least the half without the beard!)

After all this hard work Toni and I retired to the ‘relaxation room’. This was a warm dark place with individual loungers and soft furnishings. We both fell asleep for a while – dreaming of all the places we have visited over the last couple of months.

You don’t need to book into the hotel to have a spa treatment but I would recommend booking at least one night to allow the full benefits to take effect.

The restaurant serves high quality locally-sourced foods (such as venison and partridge) in a polished mahogany panelled setting.

Our bedroom had great views over the 38 acres of gardens. We slept soundly and were not disturbed by anything, not even the famed ghost of the ‘Grey Lady’ who died whilst hanging curtains (obviously pre-Health and Safety at Work Act accident!)

Having a weekend at home will actually be quite a novelty. The summer of 2009 will be one we remember for a long time. We hope to continue the feel of the experience by occasionally booking something a little different and maintaining the life-work-holiday balance.