In honour of the tradition of a new year reset, we rounded up a selection of historic hotels with outstanding spa facilities
1. Lucknam Park, Wiltshire (above)
Driving up Lucknam Park’s tree-lined avenue to the Palladian mansion set like a jewel at the end one’s shoulders palpably drop. Sitting in 500 acres of tranquil Wiltshire countryside, the central part of the house was built by James Wallis, a wealthy cloth merchant from Bristol, in the late 17th century, with the pillared portico and bowed wings added later. Today, Lucknam Park’s diverse range of activities spans everything from fine dining in the Michelin-starred Park restaurant to equestrian training or the sheer indulgence of its outstanding spa. If you have the energy afterwards, Stonehenge or Bath await on the doorstep, but as an Arcadian setting for simply unwinding and getting away from it all, Lucknam remains ideal.
2. Dormy House, Worcestershire
Original flagstone floors and oak panelling offer glimpses of the 17th-century farm Dormy House was in its former life. Today merging farmhouse chic with Scandinavian style in the heart of the Cotswolds, Dormy House has benefited from a multi-million pound renovation, not least in the House Spa which boasts a lavender-infused sauna, salt steam room and juniper-laced Finnish cabin. The hot tub on the Spa Terrace is warming enough for the frostiest of days, or you can choose between a candlelit infinity pool or hot mineral mud bathing. Perched above the pretty village of Broadway in Worcestershire, Dormy House is one of three exquisite places to stay on the Farncombe Estate alongside younger siblings Foxhill Manor and the Fish Hotel.
3. Rockliffe Hall, County Durham
Every detail at Rockliffe Hall in County Durham seems to have been designed to help you unwind, from huge king-sized beds in elegant, spacious rooms to the tranquil countryside setting with the River Tees meandering by. The elegant redbrick mansion, which dates to the 18th century, boasts 61 bedrooms, a beautiful golf course and an award-winning spa – one of the largest in the country. The new spa garden blends indoor and outdoor space with the latter including two hot pools, an infinity pool and Jacuzzi, and landscaped areas overlooking the grounds. Choose from a huge array of therapies from Tibetan sound massages to Neom happiness treatments and relax in the sleep retreat afterwards on the sound-wave therapy beds.
