Mallory Court’s new Elan Spa is every bit as relaxing and luxurious as I had hoped it would be.
You’ll recall my excitement about a date night with my husband. It’s something we just don’t get to do, but something I know we really should make more of an effort to. Click here to read my previous post on this. I love my children beyond words, but I categorically know that I’m a better parent when I’ve had some me time, whether that’s in the gym or a restaurant.
We are no strangers to the stunning country house hotel that is Mallory Court, we have spent many beautiful occasions here before, including our friend’s beautiful wedding and an extra special family event too. Our home is just four minutes drive away and I never take for granted that even though we live in a town, stunning places like this are literally just round the corner. In fact, it’s one of the things I love about Mallory in particular, once you’re through those gates, you are instantly propelled into a calm country world with stunning buildings and even more spectacular views, which reach far further than the ten acres of grounds it is set within. They say location is everything and with historic Warwick, Stratford Upon Avon, our beautiful town of Leamington Spa and of course The Cotswolds all within touching distance, visitors to the area will find Mallory just ideal.
Adding substance and calm to Eden Hotel’s Matriarch is the new addition of the Elan Spa, which boasts a peaceful retreat where you can de-stress in sublime, state of the art facilities whilst gazing over quintessential English gardens.
We arrived at around 2pm on a Saturday completely ready for our ‘de-stress’ since we had just undertaken the usual Saturday craziness which I know many of you will relate to…9am football on a foggy/soggy pitch followed by the dance class rush, followed by weekly supermarket trolley dash from hell. It’s fair to say we were ready for r&r.
Even though our check in time was 3pm we thought we would arrive early and leave our bags and have a wander around the grounds. We were pleased to discover that our room was already available and checked in immediately into the Claydon Room which is a superior room with a kingsized bed and stunning bathroom. It has all the amenities you would expect from a luxury brand such as this with the added bonus of the Espa toiletries which are just fabulous! There were some arrival treats which I won’t post. Though I have taken many photographs I am hoping to leave some little surprises too.
Our stunning room was adorned with robes and slippers ready for our Spa experience. I headed straight off to the Elan Spa itself for my 55 minute facial (see list of available Ila, Espa and Orly treatments here) and left Craig to relax and explore the other amenities.
The treatment area is upstairs in Orchard House and is filled with the scents of those amazing Espa candles (I must not buy more candles… repeat) and has a range of treatment rooms, both single and double and a lounge area. After a gorgeously luxurious facial in the spa, followed by a relaxing herbal tea we headed outside to the vitality spa where I drank champagne in the outdoor spa pool and totally undid all the de-toxing magic. It was so worth it though!
The views are stunning and the sun shone and we talked (while not looking at our phones as per every night of the week), it was just perfect. The temperature in the pool was 37 degrees which means even on a cold day it’s still ideal. Also around the terrace area are loungers to relax on and an outside sauna. After a swim in the heated indoor pool and steam room we headed back to our room to get ready for our evening meal which we had booked in the main hotel in the restaurant. A very small note here to management to suggest more plug sockets in the changing areas as I noticed just two, we ladies do like to have ample hair-drying opportunities. This of course wasn’t an issue to me as I was using the amenities in my room but could see this being a welcome addition if you were in a group getting changed at the same time.
We arrived early for dinner and had pre-drinks in the drawing room, well, in for a penny and all that! After a(nother) glass of fizz we were seated for dinner in The Dining Room. (We have also eaten before in the slightly-less-formal Brasserie which is equally lovely). Our meal was every bit as outstanding as we have known it to be, proving Mallory is ever deserving of their three AA rosettes and many other awards. – Huge compliments to the chef.
After our meal and delicious deserts we sat in the lounge for a while with a drink and then headed off for an actual whole night’s sleep. The holy grail of parenting right there! On our walk back to our room we noticed a wedding reception taking place in a separate annex to the hotel. I must compliment the hotel here as we hadn’t even noticed there had been a wedding happening and whilst it must have been busy the hotel staff every bit as attentive and there was no additional noise what so ever.
Rather annoyingly this morning I woke up at exactly the same time as my son usually wakes me up at! So I headed downstairs to the gym while the o/h had a well deserved lie in. I spent an hour in the gym with nobody else around, I know to some people this is your idea of hell, but to me, to be able to get up, chuck on my gym stuff and walk down one flight of stairs, it’s a dream! After my cardio I put a yoga class on my phone (taking advantage of the free WiFi) which finished off my session perfectly, still not a soul around. The gym is well equipped and light, the addition of a larger mat area would be welcomed, but they have worked well within the space. There are complimentary towels and cute refrigerated bottles of water available. Interestingly I also noticed on the guest information that Mallory have an affiliation with The Nuffield Health Gym which is just around the corner and can also be used by guests.
Our breakfast was served in the Spa Cafe where we had a choice of cereals, yoghurts, fruit, nuts and fresh fruit juices. There is of course a ‘hot’ breakfast menu from which I chose the pancakes with fruit compote and Craig had the Full English. Coffee and tea were in abundance and we had yet another un-interrupted meal which was just amazing.
After breakfast we packed up the car and took a stroll around the hotel grounds which are just brimming with Wisteria, Peonies, Bluebells and Iris’. I couldn’t help but think of the kids at this point, knowing how much they would enjoy running free in the gardens and exploring the maze, perhaps we will return in the Summer for afternoon tea with them so they can enjoy it too.
We have had the most wonderful (20 ish) hours off and would highly recommend the sumptuous Elan Spa to anyone like us looking for a break and not wanting to travel too far afield. On looking through the packages it seems there is something for every budget, whether you’re looking for a Spa day or to go the whole hog like we did. As parents it’s hard to take time out, (we’ve had this booked since January) but take it from me, it’ll be worth every penny.
You can call 01926 330214 or email elanspa@mallory.co.uk to book your stay.
See More about the Elan Spa on Mallory Court’s Website, here
Take It From Mummy was offered this Spa break in return for an honest review of the new Elan Spa. You can rely upon all views being my own and I have not received payment for my opinions, this blog or any others. All pictures are copyright to TakeItFromMummy and must not be used without permission.
