Ashby-de-la-Zouch

My sister had been planning on taking me to a spa for a while and I finally relented and found time for it this year. I have never done this sort of thing before because it tends to be rather expensive and I wasn't really comfortable with the idea of facials, massages and the intimacy that I imagined was involved in them.

We approached Champneys Springs via country roads with fields all around. It is a cluster of older and newer buildings in a fairly remote spot. At night the only outside sounds I heard were the ducks on the ponds, the quacking of which could be faintly heard through the double glazing. From the car park, the front entrance is reached by crossing a bridge over a rather drab looking pond. Through the murky water I could make out the odd Koi carp, but there were no pond plants to help brighten up and clean the water. A feeling of disappointment began to rise in me, but things improved a little when we reached the bright, clean, up to date looking reception.

The receptionist was very polite and efficient, if not overly friendly. We were told to leave our bags for an elderly porter to bring up to our rooms for us and I was mortified at the thought of him lugging them up the stairs. However, they were quite insistent and to my relief he loaded them onto a trolley and used a lift. The receptionist led us to our room on the second floor. On the way, I couldn't help noticing the rather worn carpets. In fact there were quite a few areas where the hotel would have benefited from a bit of maintenance or sprucing up. The seals had gone on a lot of the double glazed units in the standard accommodation block where we were housed and you could see the condensation between the panes.

The room was ample and housed a desk, two single beds, a chest of drawers, a television table and a wardrobe without making it feel cramped. There was a portable size television which showed some of the freeview channels and a DVD player. My sister told me you can borrow DVDs. There was a telephone in the room and a hairdryer. I also found a hospitality tray with a kettle and a selection of teas, but no coffee as far as I could tell. The décor was fairly simple with pale walls, light pine furniture and a dark carpet, which incidentally needed vacuuming. The beds had feather pillows and duvets which you just sank into and the mattress was firm, but comfortable. Apart from some bits on the floor, cleanliness seemed good. There were two windows, one of which looked onto the rather dirty balconies of some other rooms. The other window had a better view over one of the ponds and across the fields.

The bathroom was quite small, but it included both a bath and a shower. The seal along the bath had black mould stains along it which could have done with treating and re-sealing. Some of the tiles were cracked and the flooring could have done with replacing or re-fitting. The shower head was fixed a bit low and was only two inches above my head when I stood under it; not really ideal for anyone over 5' 8". It looked worn, but it was clean. White towels were provided along with, soap, two disposable face cloths, two body washes and a lotion each.

The porter happily informed us that there would be a champagne reception at 6pm that day, so after our first treatment we headed to the lounge for some bubbly and canapés before dinner. There were two restaurants, both of which had contemporary furnishings and décor. The main restaurant had dark decor and yellowed lighting, giving it a calming atmosphere, whereas the other had a lighter décor and a more cheerful feel to it. At meal times we were almost always greeted by the same smart, cheerful sounding gentleman and shown to our table. The staff there and in the hotel in general was always polite and friendly, but rarely went beyond the call of duty and sometimes we got the feeling that the friendliness came across as being somewhat rehearsed. The food was always lovely and of a high quality. I only once chose something that was bland, but this was easily remedied as it was the buffet lunch and I was able to fetch something from the salad bar instead. At dinner there was a three course menu with about five choices per course. Water is free at meal times, but any soft drinks and mineral water cost extra and they could be chosen from a fairly large selection. All the meals were included in the price of our stay, but there was nothing unhealthy except for some cakes which could be bought from the café. After a weekend of only healthy food, my sister and I found ourselves drooling over a chocolate advert. Now I know why they are in the middle of nowhere. Its so you can't just run round the corner and grab a cream cake!

The spa building was opened in 2001 and was therefore not as worn looking as the rest of the building. I rather liked the tropical water feature at the bottom of the stairs which lead to the spa reception. You could walk over a glass floor and watch the Koi swimming in the clear water below you. For a better look at the fish we looked over the railing to one side and realised that this must be where they are fed, because the positively swarmed to us. Downstairs you can access the changing areas, pool, saunas, steam room and thalassotherapy pool. The changing rooms are continually maintained and there are disposable cups with water on tap. Towels are provided for guest use and these are kept well stocked with the used ones being regularly removed for cleaning. Outside the changing rooms there is an area where you wait to be collected for thalassotherapy treatment. This salt water pool is currently one of only two in the country and its various powerful water jets are placed at differing heights to massage the different areas of the body. At the end of the session the therapist offered coupons for a half price session, so we booked another for our final day.

The pool was a bit smaller than an average public swimming pool and at no point is it deep enough for diving; although it is plenty deep enough for swimming. To one side of the pool there is an area with loungers and a Jacuzzi pool. The pool is wider at one end and aqua exercise classes are performed here, keeping those who attend out of the way of the swimmers.

Upstairs is the spa reception where you book any treatments. Here there are rooms where you wait under the initial of your surname for the therapist to collect you for treatments such as massages and facials. The beauty parlour and hair salon are also located upstairs and while I was waiting for my hair cut I got to experience the Premier waiting room. There wasn't really much difference except that premier guests get a jug of orange juice on their table.

After all the worries I had about the intimacy of massages, I actually found it okay. I spent an hour having a back massage and facial and found it very relaxing. The therapist made sure I was comfortable and discreetly covered the areas she wasn't working on. There were three therapies included in our package. Any therapies on top we had to pay for. There are, however, lots of activities and classes which are free to attend and you just need to check the schedule for times and to see if you need to book. The gym is free for guests and there are paths around the hotel for walking, jogging or cycling. Also outside are a tennis court, a football pitch and some golf holes.

If you pay for the higher priced rooms you can get the use of a robe, but in the cheaper ones you need to bring your own or hire one. You can buy the Champneys towelling slippers or bring your own. I noticed that a lot of people used flip flops instead of slippers which is a good idea when you are taking them on and off in the wet areas. My slippers got quite wet and were not really suitable.

On the last day we had to vacate our rooms by 10.30am, but we could leave our luggage in a holding area and were allowed to use the facilities until 4pm. They gave us a time slot for checking out and paying so that it didn't get too busy in the reception. We used our last morning up with a swim and a thalassotherapy and then got dressed for lunch. I didn't want to leave after lunch, but I didn't want to change back into my wet swimsuit either. So we whiled away some time in the calm of the lounge and remembered the cat that had found its way in the previous day.