Ten spa holidays in the UK and abroad with shell massages, huge pools and overnight stays
CHRISTMAS is always hectic, often stressful and there will certainly be an over- indulgence of cake and chocolates.
So welcome in 2025 by chilling out on a luxurious spa day or wonderful wellness break.
Trisha Harbord brings you a selection of super, all-budget rest-andrelaxation offers at home and in the sunshine abroad.
SOUNDS LIKE FUN
AWARD-winning Down Hall Hotel is offering winter wellness weekends and retreats at the stately estate on the Hertfordshire and Essex borders.
Its state-of-the-art Eden Spa kicks off the series with an overnight stay featuring a sound bath – where you are “bathed” in sound waves.
A relaxing treatment, yoga sessions, woodland walk, dinner and breakfast are included.
There’s also a range of body and beauty treatments and the Wet Spa has a hydrotherapy pool and an outdoor relaxation area.
Dating back to the 11th century, the hotel has 98 rooms and is set in 110 acres of woodland and gardens.
GO: Sound bath retreat on January 17, costs £225 per person. See downhall.co.uk.
SUPER SPARKLER
WANT to enter 2025 sparkling? Then get some pampering in quick at Moddershall Oaks country spa retreat.
Its “winter sparkle day” – includes a warming ritual or massage, use of superb facilities, welcome mocktail, lunch and hot chocolate and Christmas cookie – until the end of the year.
If you’re pushed, the Staffordshire spa, in 72 acres of parkland, has a “misty mornings” half-day in January.
There’s a heated pool, relaxation lounge with a fire and sauna and, inside, reflexology footbaths and a sleep lounge.
Treatments include a mud rasul and fitness classes in the wellness centre.
GO: Sparkle day from £140, misty mornings £110. See moddershalloaks.com.
IT’S LOCHING GOOD
FEEL refreshed, restored and recharged among 400 acres of Scottish countryside.
Float in the spa’s rooftop infinity pool at 5H award-winning Cameron House, with spectacular views over beautiful Loch Lomond.
There’s a thermal and hydro experience, a pool, gym and an array of treatments from massages to facials.
Cameron House, a castle in West Dunbartonshire, has suites, rooms and self-catering lodges, cottages and apartments.
The hotel also has an 18-hole championship golf course, its own motor-cruiser boat and offers experiences including speedboat trips, 4×4 adventures, falconry and movie nights.
GO: Spa days from £130. B&B rooms from £350 a night. See cameronhouse.co.uk.
GOING WILD
FANS of wild swimming should check out the Yorkshire Spa Retreat.
Set in 11 acres of North Yorkshire countryside, 15 miles east of Thirsk, the “oasis of tranquillity”, has a wild swimming pond, hydrotherapy pool, herbal steam room, sauna and salt chamber plus a heated outdoor pool.
Unwind in the Spa Dome or enjoy an organic treatment.
Stay in one of the retreat’s luxury lodges which have outdoor entertainment areas and hot tubs.
The retreat has a bar and restaurant, and offers electric bike rental and scenic woodland walks.
And, if taking your four-legged friends, there’s a secure paddock with agility equipment and wash stations.
GO: Three nights’ self-catering for up to four people and two pets in January is from £299.
Spa access from £75. Day packages from £189. See hoseasons.co.uk.
SIMPLY HEAVEN
IT’S impossible not to like the sound of a Heavenly Indulgence spa break.
Warner Hotels is offering a three-night stay at Heythrop Park in the Cotswolds, where you’ll enjoy luxurious treatments, Champagne afternoon tea, activities of your choice, live nightly entertainment and a gift.
The spa has a 65ft pool, sauna, steam and relaxation rooms and thermal suite.
There are free yoga and wellness, meditation and fitness classes.
Heythrop Park is an early 18th-century country house in 440 acres of beautiful grounds, so there are lots of opportunities for walking without seeing a soul.
If you prefer to use a bit more energy to unwind, try axe- throwing, archery or a dance workshop.
GO: Three nights’ B&B and dinner, from January 12, costs from £413pp. For details see warnerleisurehotels.co.uk.
BEAUTY AND THE BEACH
THE promise of no rain in January is enough to lure anyone to Hurghada in Egypt.
Sunny, warm weather means the only time you’ll get wet is in the spa or swimming in the Red Sea.
Tui Blue Makadi Gardens offers a fitness programme with wellbeing sessions and sports activities.
Workouts include water aerobics and for the more athletic, high-intensity training.
If you prefer a more relaxing time, choose yoga, pilates or a treatment.
The adults-only hotel has a private beach and is beside a watersports centre, where you can hire snorkelling and diving equipment to see the coral reef.
GO: Seven nights’ all-inclusive at the 4T hotel, including flights from Gatwick on January 10, costs from £817pp. See tui.co.uk.
SANCTUARY AT SEA
SAILING around sunny Caribbean islands with a spa at your fingertips is bliss.
Cruise ship Arvia has a fabulous wellness centre and the Oasis Spa and Health Club features a thermal suite and thalassotherapy – a holistic health treatment using seawater, seaweed and other elements from the ocean.
There’s a relaxation lounge, hammam, salt and steam rooms, salon for beauty treatments and an outdoor sanctuary, The Retreat, with loungers, a pool and refreshments.
A health club offers pilates, yoga and a bootcamp.
You can also have a body scan to check out your physical condition.
GO: A 14-night cruise from Barbados on January 4, including return flights from UK airports, full-board meals and entertainment, costs from £1,699pp. See pocruises.com.
TURKISH DELIGHT
THE hammam, a steam bath, can be traced back more than 2,000 years to the Romans.
The Turks then spread the tradition through Europe so it’s also known as the Turkish bath.
And where better to experience the deep cleansing ritual which relaxes the body and mind than in Turkey.
The five-star Dobedan Exclusive Hotel uses traditional and modern techniques in its spa, which has sauna and steam rooms, a Jacuzzi, and a pool.
There’s a private sandy beach, five outdoor pools and the town of Belek, with bars and restaurants, is a short distance away.
GO: Seven nights’ all-inclusive at the Dobedan Exclusive Hotel, including flights from Stansted on January 8, costs from £559pp. See travelsupermarket.com.
ROYAL RETREAT
THE sub-tropical climate in Cyprus is one of the healthiest in the world.
The Mediterranean island gets six hours of sunshine a day in January and it’s warm enough for beach walks.
The Royal Apollonia, on the sands in Limassol, has a fabulous spa to “release all stress and worries in a personal sanctuary”.
The pool, gym, steam room and sauna are free for hotel guests. Treatments include wellness massages, costing from £46.
The five-star hotel’s Royal Spa has a signature hot stone therapy and massages using candles and shells.
After a relaxing day, sip sundowners in the Luna Lounge & Terrace.
GO: Seven nights’ B&B at the Royal Apollonia, including British Airways flights from Gatwick on dates in January, is from £480pp. See theroyalapollonia.com and ba.com.
SLOPING OFF
EVER gone from skiing into a spa?
With a blissful view of blue skies shining over snow-capped mountains, it would be impossible not to feel good about the world.
The Deep Nature Spa in the ski resort of La Plagne, France, has relaxing and invigorating activities and treatments.
There’s a heated outdoor aquatic area with massage jets, geysers, a whirlpool and Nordic baths to boost wellness.
Inside, you can sweat it out in the sauna and steam room, and try the salt grotto and relaxation room.
Whether you ski or not, you’ll also benefit from the invigorating mountain air.
GO: Spa access from £17. Seven nights’ B&B at Hotel Le Terra Nova from January 11, costs from £664pp. See en.la-plagne.com.
LeShuttle return for a vehicle and up to nine passengers from Folkestone to Calais costs from £232. See leshuttle.com.