A group spa break at Rudding Park luxury spa hotel

“It’s amazing” were the first words out of Spa Expert Charlotte’s mouth when she returned from Rudding Park in Yorkshire. Having visited with a group of her Spabreaks.com colleagues, here’s why she loved this luxury spa…

First impressions

You drive up, taking in this beautiful location before reaching the hotel. Then, before you’re out of the car, the concierge is there taking your bags for you. You breeze through check in, in two minutes flat, and then all you have to do is enjoy yourself.

The hotel

The hotel itself is a beautiful Regency property surrounded by 300 acres of gardens. We stayed in a standard room, but it was everything you could ask for in terms of luxury. I would never say no to an upgrade but it wasn’t needed. The style of the rooms is modern, but sympathetic to the architecture, and they have everything you need from robes and slippers to Molten Brown toiletries. The bathroom must have been the same size as the bedroom, and they do a turndown service every evening, which is a nice touch.

The location

Rudding Park is in Harrogate, about a 10 minute taxi ride from the station, so really easy to reach. However, the 300 acres of grounds wrap around the whole hotel, so no matter where you are you’re overlooking greenery. There’s a herb garden, where they source as many of the herbs and edible flowers as possible to use in their cooking. There’s also a private Breeze House that you can hire for a private BBQ in the Kitchen Garden. It seats up to eight people and is extremely private and lovely.

The restaurant

On the first night we had a seven course tasting menu in the fine dining restaurant, Horto. It’s very fancy with things like oysters and beef carpaccio. It also comes with a paired wine for each course. We had some fussy eaters with us and the chefs customised dishes which was really helpful. What was also wonderful was that the chefs came out and explained their dishes as we ate them - so it was very much entertainment as well as dinner.

You can also choose The Clocktower. The Clocktower is less formal, but it still has two AA Rosettes so you’re in for a treat either way. They were fantastic for people in the team who had particular dietary requirements as well, which makes things easier. Breakfast was amazing with lots to choose from. Horto is also where lunch is served if you’re on a spa break. Lunch is really healthy and satisfying - you get two courses with lots of choice.

The spa at Rudding Park

The spa is a new building within the grounds of Rudding Park and it’s both extensive and amazing. There’s an indoor spa, which everyone gets access to, and a rooftop spa which you can upgrade to use.

We started with a treatment each, which was wonderful. Then we went to use the four relaxation areas. There’s the visualisation room, which is dark with hanging chairs and a cinema screen playing relaxing scenes from around the UK. They have a sleep zone, where you lie on heated beds with a blanket and look at a ‘starlit’ sky above you. Then you have the audio relaxation room, which is brighter with day beds, and they give you an iPod and headphones if that’s more how you relax. The other relaxation room is one for chatting if you want to be with friends and have a cup of tea.

Upstairs you have the first level of the spa, which includes general facilities, indoor pool, changing rooms, mud rasul, sauna, steam room ad relaxation loungers. Then above that you have the rooftop spa. This is really magic. You go through the door with a special wristband, and as soon as you walk in there’s flavoured water, spare towels and robes. You never need to ask for anything.

There are foot spas, experience showers, a herbal steam room, an oxygen pod and a daylight therapy room. There’s an indoor hydrotherapy pool leading to outdoor infinity pool, and while you’re in the pool a waiter will bring you drinks if you want. There’s an outdoor hydro pool and a log sauna, sofas and lots of loungers. They’ve also just set up a cabana for group bookings, which is covered but means you can sit out if it rains. It includes fire pit and blankets and is available for exclusive hire for £10 per person. There were several groups there when we visited and it never felt crowded.

Rudding Park spa treatments

I had their new CBD treatment, which you can add to any massage treatment. They’re the only spa that offers it, and it’s for an additional fee of £15.They give you a little spray of CBD oil under the tongue before the treatment, and then add the oil into the massage. You then have a CBD tea after your treatment. It was nice and I found that around 10 minutes into the treatment, my whole body switched off, like a click.

Whether that was psychological or not, it worked. I had a Flow Wellbeing Massage, which works on cleansing the chakras. They customised the treatment because I didn’t want my legs massaged and so I had a scalp massage instead.

The verdict

Rudding Park is a really special place to go, and because of the way they have designed it, it works really well for everyone; groups, couples, mums and daughters. There’s something for everyone and there’s so much space. You also feel like a celebrity when you’re there, the service is so amazing.

Top tips for visiting Rudding Park

• Because there’s so much to do, one day isn’t enough. Stay for two days. We stayed for two nights and I still felt like could have done with more time.
• The guest relations manager, Ollie, is like a young Peter Kaye. He’s the funniest person I’ve ever met and he will do anything for anybody to make the stay special. He defines amazing.
• Jean Luc, the sommelier in Horto, knows everything there is to know about the wine. So have a seven course tasting menu, talk to him and ask lots of questions.
• They have Dyson hairdryers and it’s the only time I am ever going to be able to afford to try one, so I would take advantage of that!
• They have their own bottled water from their spring in the grounds for a true touch of Harrogate - just something to be aware of as you hydrate!