Naturally, your Mum needs spoiling on Mother’s Day, but let’s dispense with the clichés, shall we? There shall be no flowers, no chocolates, no fancy dinners. No. Here, we offer a few suggestions from The Good Spa Guide for surprising mater with a sublime getaway. Ssh, don’t tell…
For Grande Dames…Cliveden House, Berkshire
If your mum knows more of society than Tatler’s bystander pages, had her tickets to Joyce DiDonato at Grange Park Opera before they went on sale and spends August in Deauville, you may be stumped on where to take her that won’t cost the earth. Cliveden is a wonderful solution. Their new spa will win you plenty of brownie points as she reminisces over the Profumo pool and discovers the lifting prowess of Sarah Chapman facials. Make time for a boating picnic on a lovingly restored Belmont launch. See our review here.
For Earth Mothers…The Scarlet Hotel Spa, Cornwall
Perhaps your mother was the type to carry you in a hemp sling as she trekked the Himalayas in search of enlightenment. Or perhaps she only dreamed of such freedom as she reared you on organic wholefoods and baby yoga in Basildon. The Scarlet Spa is an Ayurvedic retreat on a Cornish cliff with spectacular ocean views. Scarlet Journeys include bathing rituals with ocean views from clifftop hot tubs, rhassouls, meditation and traditional Ayurvedic treatments and consultations. There’s an indoor pool cleansed by low dosage bromine, an outdoor pool and barrel sauna with inspiring sea views, a meditation room and
relaxation room with hanging pods to curl up in. Book a yoga, self-care or daydream workshop and help your earth mama find her om. See our review here.
For Gourmet Mums…Lucknam Park, Wiltshire
Perhaps your mum is a star baker, or uses her statement kitchen to heat pizzas, but if she has any interest in good food, Lucknam Park is the place. You can both sign up for the cookery school and rustle up something spectacular with expert tuition. Courses range from ‘Michelin Starred Cooking at Home’ to ‘Go Vegan!’ or ‘Discover Thai’. If all that seems like too much effort, head to the bright and beautiful indoor/outdoor spa, then enjoy Michelin-starred dining at the Restaurant Hywell Jones or a stylishly seasonal post-spa lunch at The Brasserie. There’s no dining in robes here – this is the kind of food worth getting dressed for. See our review here.
For Traditional Mums…PH20 at Park House Hotel & Spa, Sussex
This is a classy and petite spa attached to a characterful Country House hotel that wouldn’t look out of place in an Agatha Christie film – twee-chic wallpaper, rolling lawns for tennis and croquet, and an honesty bar where you can help yourself to G&Ts. The outdoor spa area has seats for lunching (order from the pool bar) and loungers to fight over: it can be a glorious sun trap on a bright day. Indoors there’s a luxurious pool area with glittering tiles and a mezzanine with comfy chairs and well-stocked tea station.
For Quiet and Cosy Mums…Weavers’ House Spa, Suffolk
The Medieval wool town of Lavenham is picture-book quaint, with sagging timber framed shops and cafes surrounded by beautiful countryside. You will find Weavers’ House Spa tucked away in a secret walled garden at the back of The Swan Hotel. Petite but beautiful, Weavers’ doesn’t shout about its charms, although it has plenty: a secluded patio garden with a small warm bubbly vitality pool, a snug hot stone sauna and steam room, and two relaxation suites – one for a post-treatment snooze, the other a bright conservatory to relax and read. Temple Spa treatments are delicious, but there are also Touch Therapies for those living with and beyond cancer.
Recommendations courtesy of The Good Spa Guide. For further information, and more ideas, please visit www.goodspaguide.co.uk.
