Summer edit: spa gardens

There are few things as blissful as an English garden in summer time, but what really takes the cake is a spa garden. Replete with more than just swimming pools (although we love those), they take you from swim-up bars to rooftop infinity pools, private poolside cabanas with their own outdoor fridges, and even saunas with panoramic views. Here are a few favourite spa gardens for summer.

The Spa Terrace at Hoar Cross Hall, Staffordshire

Surrounded by 50 acres of grounds and gardens in the Staffordshire countryside, Hoar Cross Hall is a famously romantic hotel set within a Jacobean manor house. Immamculate at every turn, and with plenty to do over a long weekend, it's a magical place to spend time. Within this wonderland, the spa is a world of its own, with leisure spanning everything from archery and boules to tennis and golf.

Wellness facilities include a whole host of indoor experiences, not to mention a new Spa Terrace, offering a unique and exquisite outdoor spa experience. It features three 15-metre pools wrapped in lavender planters and heated to a soothing 38-degrees, as well as two Brass Monkey Cold Barrels for cold water immersion therapy. Then head to the glass-fronted juniper log sauna, or relax on one of six spacious cabanas complete with a ‘ring for refreshments’ bell.

There’s a calming Relax Room just off the terrace with eight beds, a Mediterranean-inspired bar and lounge featuring reclaimed tiles from the vineyards of southern Spain, and two fire pits surrounded by comfy seating so you can relax under the stars late into the evening.

A private spa garden at The Spa at Breedon Priory, Derbyshire

A contemporary day spa and leisure club, Breedon Priory Health Club sits in the countryside on the border of South Derbyshire and Leicestershire. Set within 24 acres of countryside, the contemporary barn-style building has enormous windows that let in an abundance of natural light, while facilities are both inside and out.

There's a beautiful pool, and a popular feature for groups is The Hideaway - a private spa space and spa garden including a double treatment room, private lounge area, shower area, outdoor hot tub, mini bar, fire pit and double lounger. The spa even has its own acclaimed restaurant.

The spa garden at Pennyhill Park, Surrey

With a reputation for excellence, Forbes recognised Pennyhill Park is luxury on another level, but it’s the fact that each individual area of the hotel is an experience in its own right that makes it so special. The spa is no exception; from the breadth of sumptuous spa therapies using the most luxurious of ingredients to the exquisitely appointed treatment and relaxation rooms, this is an opportunity to experience spa at its best and to feel wellness on another level.

Spanning 45,000 sq. ft, the spa is really exceptional, with plenty of space for hours of entertainment. Facilities flow from inside out so you can swim from indoor to outdoor pools, enjoying a world of hot tubs, saunas, steam rooms, a mud room, foot spas, and a dedicated spa cafe with the most beautiful menu. The outdoor pool is open all year round, and the indoor ballroom pool has underwater music. The garden also features private cabanas to relax in semi-privacy, each complete with a copper bath, loungers, a fridge filled with drinks, tea and coffee facilities, and the option to order food.

Eco wellness at the Scarlet Hotel, Cornwall

The Scarlet is an adult-only escape located on the rugged Cornish clifftops of Mawgan Porth. Built to honour and give back to nature, every element helps you reconnect with yourself and the world around you. The only sound is the crashing waves of the Atlantic, design is contemporary and tranquil, and amongst it all the Scarlet Spa is an integral part of your stay, built on Ayurvedic wellness.

Spa facilities celebrate nature, not only by being eco friendly but including them in the view or the immersive experience at every turn. That might be swimming with a sea view, taking a dip outdoor natural reed pool, spending time in the clifftop cedar wood sauna, or enjoying the restorative steam room and wide views of the sea. Nor do they use chemicals to filter the outdoor pool — reeds and algae cleanse it just as well.

The Zen Garden at The Spa Hotel at Ribby Hall Village, Lancashire

The Spa Hotel at Ribby Hall Village is quite literally a whole village of spa and leisure experiences. Alongside a smorgasbord of indoor wellbeing opportunities, this expansive retreat has a Zen Garden with an outdoor hot tub, its own bar, a beautiful seating area, a Himalayan salt sauna and an outdoor experience shower with mood lighting and body jets.

Poolside cabanas, hot tubs and fire pits at Cottonmill Spa at Sopwell House, Hertfordshire

The perfect mix of grandeur and comfort, this country house hotel is the height of luxury with an emphasis on hospitality at its warmest. Housing the UK’s first private members’ spa, Cottonmill is a luxurious sanctuary with state-of-the-art facilities and truly decadent spa experiences delivered by world-class experts. Alongside all that luxury however, the gardens are exceptional. Enjoy poolside terraces bedecked with cabanas, hot tubs and fire pits woven into a landscaped oasis.

The English Country Spa Garden at Manor House Hotel - Alsager, Cheshire

Manor House Hotel - Alsager sits in the Cheshire countryside, inviting you to enjoy a four-star retreat in former farm buildings. Alongside a boutique hotel, the adult-only spa is celebrated for its range of indoor and outdoor facilities, open all year round, complete with two swim-up bars - the original, which is the first of its kind in the UK, as well as The Bothy Bar so you can sip your favourite cocktail without leaving the water. However, that's just the beginning - they have recently added a hydrotherapy pool heated to a balmy 37°C, a cold water plunge pool with a cascading waterfall, and an 80°C Finnish sauna forged of reclaimed bricks and with a Himalayan salt wall that's great for detox. An exquisite Herb Garden provides a sensory space where a water feature gently sets the scene, and raised beds are filled with a hand-picked selection of herbs and flowers that scent the air, while the greenhouse relaxation lounges are tranquil and toasty, with underfloor heating and glass ceilings so you can enjoy a soothing, light-filled environment as you settle in with a good book and a cup of tea.

The Spa Garden at Alexander House Hotel Utopia Spa, West Sussex

A five-star country house in East Sussex, which dates back to the 17th century, Alexander House Hotel is all about luxury. Guests can choose from a range of accommodation, enjoy award-winning dining, and spend time in the tranquil grounds and gardens. The Utopia Spa is a world all of its own - in Neoclassical style it welcomes you into an opulent world of wellbeing, complete with a hydrotherapy pool, bubble tub, swimming pool, saunas and the Jacuzzi. The relaxation room opens out onto a veranda, so you can glide down a grand staircase into the Spa Garden to heated spa pools, a barrel sauna and plenty of loungers. There are separate male and female steam rooms, as well as a dedicated nail spa, and a pool concierge is ready and waiting to make sure you have everything you need.

Outdoor hot tubs and Lake District views at Appleby Manor Hotel & Garden Spa, Cumbria

With the Lake District as its backdrop, Appleby Manor Hotel prides itself on offering a warm and relaxing atmosphere and that follows through to its Garden Spa. Rustic charm characterises the retreat, complete with log fires, and a whisky waiting for you of an evening. The Garden Spa is adult-only, featuring experience showers, steam room, sauna, relaxation lounge, five treatment rooms, two outdoor hot tubs and a hydrotherapy pool. They also offer a unique aqua thermal journey, comprising of heat experiences and the hydrotherapy pool.

A woodland spa at Elan Spa at Mallory Court, Warwickshire

A four star country house hotel in Leamington Spa, Mallory Court is a luxurious and quintessentially English retreat surrounded by pretty grounds and gardens. Stay in either the traditional Manor House or the more contemporary Orchard House tucked away in the grounds, alongside the spa. Award-winning dining features home grown herbs and vegetables from the hotel’s kitchen garden. Meanwhile, the spa takes inspiration from nature, nestled amongst the trees within the picturesque gardens, it's a purpose-designed space with a range of intimate but carefully chosen facilities including the hydro pool and an outdoor vitality pool, which allows you to relax amongst nature.

An outdoor pool in the Cotswolds at Ellenborough Park, Cheltenham

An ancient manor house, set in the heart of the Cotswolds on the original Cheltenham racecourse, Ellenborough Park is like stepping into a grand English novel. The stylish property has an intrinsic sense of occasion, surrounded by 90-acre grounds. The spa is adult-only, offering a rejuvenating retreat where you can relax and unwind. Spend time in the beautiful hot tub, sauna, steam room, fitness suite, and enjoy an enchanting heated outdoor pool before choosing from a collection of Elemis therapies.

A private spa garden at Rockliffe Hall, County Durham

Rockliffe Hall is another exceptional, luxury retreat offering world-class pampering. The hotel, the restaurant - it's all mesmerising, sitting on the banks of the River Tees and dating back to 1774 (think stained glass windows, marble pillars, and ornate ceilings). The spa is 50,000 square feet of flawless wellbeing experiences, but the dedicated spa garden is a little world of its own. Here alone, you will find an outdoor infinity edge pool, warmed loungers, glass fronted sauna and sumptuous daybeds. You need to pre-book your space and it can accommodate up to 16 people, so it's perfect for a group of friends.

An all-weather spa garden at The Spa at Carden, Cheshire

Carden Park is a 1,000 acre estate in the Cheshire countryside, where guests enjoy all manner of experiences from two on-site, 18-hole golf courses to the hotel's own vineyard. The Spa at Carden is also vast and plentiful, a two-storey building brimming with modern facilities to delight and soothe. Alongside it however, is a 2,500 square metre spa garden designed to be used all year round. This unique, adult-only escape includes an outdoor vitality pool, three hot tubs, a panoramic herbal lounge, a fire pit, thermal pods, sun loungers and an all-weather Bollinger champagne bar.

Outdoor hot tubs at Thornton Hall, Wirral

A luxury hotel with an award-winning spa, Thornton Hall is nestled into the Wirral countryside, inviting guests to enjoy four-star hospitality and a world of wellness. There a 20-metre pool with a satellite whirlpool, a spa pool, and two outdoor hot tubs with power jets, as well as a hemlock sauna, fibre optic steam room, outdoor barrel sauna and a snow cave. The combination of indoor and outdoor experiences is enhanced by views of the gardens from indoor pools, and as well as a host of treatments, there's a mud therapy suite for seasonal mud treatments that are perfect for sharing.