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Stylish & Slow Adventuring – A Travel, Fashion and Lifestyle Yorkshire Blogger

A LUXURY TEMPLE SPA EXPERIENCE & STAY AT ARMATHWAITE HALL & SPA, LAKE DISTRICT | QUEENBEADY

July 28, 2018

Dress H&M (similar) | Shoes New Look | Bag Gucci

Recently, we had the pleasure of heading away to enjoy a luxury Temple Spa Experience & Stay at Armathwaite Hall & Spa, in the Lake District. On our way to Armathwaite Hall & Spa, you roll off the A66 from the North, you’re met with bounding mountain-scapes far in to the distance, with white fluffy clouds floating neatly on top of them. I have always loved the Lake District. I always find myself asking exactly how did this area come to be so beautiful? Little over 2 hours from our home we can be in the Lake District so it has always been a favourite UK holiday destination both of mine and Mr C’s over the years. There’s something so peaceful when surrounded by water, it allows me to just switch off without a moments thought and the everyday stresses seem to dispel almost instantly. The idea of being able to enjoy this gorgeous countryside estate meant I could play at being a lady of the manor which was an opportunity I could not turn down!


Wearing Top c/o FatFace | Shorts c/o FatFace | Sandals Birkenstocks

The Hotel & Grounds

Rolling up through the cast iron gates you automatically feel like you’ve arrived at the Estate. With the rolling green fields surrounding the Hall and the sparkling Bassenthwaite lake in the distance, it’s so very easy to feel relaxed almost instantly.

With a lovely terrace that overlooks the hotels green and tree-lined estate, you can sit outside with a glass of champagne or play croquet if your heart so desires. Not only that but there’s a paddock filled with rare breed sheep which are so lovely to watch!

Passed through the generations, there has been a house on the land since the 11th Century (but can only be traced back on reliable records since 1548.) Fortunately the Hall was saved back in 1930 as it was almost auctioned off to be demolished but another local hotelier managed to save it for the sum of £5000. We might not have been so lucky to come along and stay at the hotel if it hadn’t have been for Mr J.B Wivvel.

Over the years there have been renovations but one of the biggest came along in 2009 which was invested in the function rooms for weddings and the gorgeous Spa. On its completion the Spa was awarded the winner of ‘The Good Spa Guide’s’ 2015 award for ‘Best Real Results’ for the hotels spa facilities.

The hotel itself is set around the courtyard and the main Hall, with ivy growing around the doors and windows, it is like something out of Hogwarts but so very beautiful. The large grounds allow for lovely long walks and what’s more, it is a dog friendly hotel so you can bring the pooches along for a little vay-cay too!

It was so lovely to enjoy a glass of prosecco on the terrace, we must have spent a good few hours just chatting and watching the sail boats on the lake. It’s the perfect spot to while away the time with no cares in the world.

Next door you will also find the Wildlife Park, so if you’re here for a few days you can visit the award-winning Cumbrian Zoo.

If you’d rather stay at the hotel, there’s a cosy, yet imposing hall lounge where dogs are allowed till 6pm (imagine thick draped curtains, wood panelling and animal heads adorning the walls.) There’s also the Courtyard Brasserie where you can enjoy light bar snacks, the Afternoon Tea room and conservatory and the newly renovated Cocktail Bar – which is a very plush room with dark velvet sofas, marble tables and ornate, asian inspired fireplaces.

During our stay there was a wedding taking place, which we only heard when we sat outside finishing our bottle of wine on the terrace and when we went to bed, we had our windows open and we were not disturbed at all. It’s lovely how it was kept separate from the main rooms but also felt part of the hotel at the same time.

The Bedrooms

We had the pleasure of staying in a Deluxe Lake View Room. Which, lets face it, is the money shot of room views when in the Lake District. It’s the penultimate thing that you’ve come to see and enjoy! It was an absolute pleasure to wake up to the view of the water in the morning, and just enjoy staring at it in the late afternoon sun.

The hotel kindly provided is with bottles of water and fresh fruit on arrival which was a nice welcome touch. It was completd with a writing desk, seating area in the bay window and large wardrobe (I wish I could have stayed longer to warrant unpacking on such a grand scale.)

The room itself was very large, but felt homely and true to the style of the hotel. With a plush egyptian cotton-covered duvet, the bed was an absolute delight to sleep in. My only criticism was the heat of the room, in our current UK heat wave a fan would have been a lovely addition to what was an exceptional room already. And, whilst I slept like a baby most of the night, the warmth did wake me up on a couple of occasions wishing it was a little cooler.

There was plenty of literature in the room to get a feel for what the hotel had to offer as well which made the stay and hotel easier to navigate.

The Temple Spa goodies in the bathroom were a nice touch which only hyped up my excitement for my spa experience later on. I have to say the towels were decent sizes too, which is always a big plus when staying at a hotel! The added touch of the TV in the bathroom was a nice idea, we tried to turn it on but sadly couldn’t get it to work (we aren’t sure if we were doing it right though!)

After our large evening meal, I was ready to dive in to the bed and knock out some z’ssss – I didn’t want to get out of it!

The Spa

Located in the Courtyard area of the hotel, the spa feels secluded and very peaceful.

Our treatments were booked in for 4pm which meant we had an hour and a half to enjoy the facilities before heading to the treatment rooms. Inside we found the sauna, the steam room, the aroma room which was a great way to cool down after going in the sauna (the kneipp hoses helped!) and the indoor jacuzzi (which was a little cooler than the outdoor infinity jacuzzi which was welcome in the heat,) However, we did find ourselves sat outside in the outdoor jacuzzi, soaking up the sun with a Pimms! (I mean it would be rude not to, wouldn’t it?) You can order drinks through the intercom system to ask for any drinks you might want but you are limited to two per person. (Buy the bottle of prosecco if you plan on staying a while!)

If you felt energetic there’s also a 16 metre pool and gym facilities to make use. Sadly for me I was there purely to relax and that I did!

At 4pm we headed back to the reception so we could make our way to the treatment area upstairs. We pre-booked our treatments before hand and Mr C chose a 55 minute “Signature Full Body Massage” for £80 as he suffers with his back and I had opted for a “My Kinda Facial” which is £75 for 55 minutes – it’s a tailor-made facial that caters to your skin type and requirements. You can find a full list of treatments here.

Mr C headed off to another room which was nice and peaceful for me, because he ends up talking normally and I don’t switch off as well so this was a dreamy set up for me (oops!)

Aimee was my therapist and provided a really thorough facial, that at times, had me snoring (sorry Aimee!) because I felt so zen! It included a short blast on my neck and shoulders too which changed things up for the 55 minutes we were in the treatment room. The knots were well and truly pushed out of my shoulders! The joys of an office job.

After your facial you are given a personalised “Spa Prescription” which is an analysis of your skin, the products that were used during the facial and the recommended products that would suit our skin. My skin came as no surprise as dry-normal, with patches of sensitivity. The Temple Spa products that were my must-haves were “In the Beginning”, “Be Calm” (as I wrote in my pre-spa notes I sometimes felt stressed and wanted to relax), “Skin Truffle”and “Windows of the Soul.” So, if like me you have slightly drier to normal skin, you will find these products a dream to use!

My skin was actually glowing after my face mask was removed. I could quite easily have a facial every week if it made my skin look as good as it did when we finished.

After I’d woken up from my treatment slumber we were taken to the relaxation room and I was tucked in to a cosy little bed with a furry throw and drank a cranberry juice – I felt like I was living the life!

Can every day please just be a spa day? If you fancy a picturesque spa day in the Lake District there’s some fab options to choose from here.

The Food

We were booked in to the Lake View Restaurant for our evening meal and boy was I looking forward to the views whilst eating a delicious meal. We had every intention of enjoying a cocktail in the newly revamped Cocktail lounge but we were running late so had to head straight to dinner.

The restaurant was quite busy around 8.15pm so sadly we didn’t get a table with the perfect view, but we had a nice spot in the main dining room.

We chose a bottle of Argentinian Malbec (our fave!) to go with our meal, Mr C decided on the Chicken Liver Parfait – an old faithful, yet I felt like going a little more adventurous with the Native Lobster with english pea purée, spinach crisps and lobster cream and it was so incredibly tasty. There was just so much flavour with every mouthful.

In between our courses we were brought amuse-bouches to cleanse our pallets. The first one was a sweetcorn pannacotta and bacon mouse, which was interesting and as much as it sounded like something I would enjoy, I was rather undecided about it.

Because we are both so original we both went for the Beef, both ordered it rare and it was so delicious, it fell apart and was cooked just how we like it. It also came with dauphinoise potatoes and vegetables.

Before our desert, (we shared a cheese board which was tasty and included a smoked cheese, a creamy cheddar, a blue cheese and more complete with homemade chutney and biscuits, but definitely tipped us over the edge in terms of fullness) our second amuse-bouche came before our cheese board and should have been a pudding in its own right, a salted peanut caramel mouse with vanilla foam and by crikey, did it taste good? We even told the waitress it needed to be added to the menu

The Lake View Restaurant offers a romantic setting has been awarded 2 Rosette’s, serves dinner daily between 7.00pm to 9.00pm and you can choose 3 courses for £46.95 per person. It is worth noting it is a formal restaurant so you must wear trousers (no jeans and no trainers!) and for a more informal dining experience I would definitely recommend eating at the Courtyard Brasserie.

The Breakfasts

Morning breakfast is served once again in the Lake View Restaurant but it has a much more laid back feel to it.

With an extensive menu I was torn between the waffles and Eggs Benedict but opted for my old faithful, Eggs B! comparing it to previous versions of this dish, it was lovely because it didn’t have a vinegar taste from the poached eggs or hollandaise sauce, so I was super happy. Mr C had a Full English brekkie, which he enjoyed but said there could have been more moist maker, aka beans!

We had been pre-warned that we had arrived at a rather busy time so we were prepared for a little wait luckily, we had toast and tea to keep us pre-occupied until our main dishes came out.

Overall it was a relaxing experience though, we weren’t rushed despite it being quite busy. And, as much as we didn’t want to leave, we had a two and half hour journey back home.

We had a wonderfully relaxing stay with views to die for (one I wish I could wake up toeach day.) If you’d like to go why not have a look at the seasonal offers  so you can enjoy a little bit of luxury for less at Armathwaite Hall.

Do you enjoy spending time in the Lake District? Are there any other hotels I should check out for our next visit?

Bee

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*Our stay, food and spa treatments was provided to us free of charge in return for a review, all thoughts and views are my own and true to the experiences we had.

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