Relax and unwind at Foxhills (From Hampshire Society)

Relax and unwind at Foxhills

2:26pm Friday 1st May 2009

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The Foxhill promise is simple and understated. You leave feeling better than when you arrived. Sounds good to me – but how much difference could an overnight break really make?

My partner and I put the new £5m Foxhills healthspa, with its indulgent facilities, treats and experiences, to the test.

At just over an hour’s drive away from Winchester, the 400-acre estate in Surrey is pretty stress-free to get to.

A 19th century manor house is at the centre of the resort, while the golf club and spa are built all around it.

The new spa opened last summer and it still has that box fresh appeal to it. Just stepping through the doors steeps you in calm; a combination of pale stone floors, cream walls, essential oils and gentle music.

The changing rooms are spacious and immaculate, and you’ll find your personal locker kitted out with a robe and slippers so you can wander around the spa in comfort.

The treatment rooms and relaxation room are softly lit, with chocolate browns and caramels creating a restful ambience.

We started our treatments with a foot salve ritual, and I followed with an Elemis facial while my partner had a deep tissue massage.

Over an hour later we found ourselves back in the relaxation room. The tensions had just fallen from our faces and we both felt our shoulders had dropped – a real transformation.

The spa days include lunch in the clubhouse, with a lively mix of golf and spa guests. The menu offers a wide range from sturdy favourites to keep the chaps going on a chilly golf course to lighter dishes for the health conscious spa visitor.

The food was delicious and got us rather excited about what would be on offer in the main restaurant in the evening.

So after, slouching on the sofa after lunch with a coffee and the weekend newspapers, we popped back to the spa to check out the pool area.

Not only is there an indoor pool area with spa pools, a steam room and sauna, but there is also the tranquil spa garden with its Finnish sauna, bubbling hot tub and lazy hammocks, loungers and day beds.

If you are feeling energetic you have the option to use the fully-equipped gym area.

By late afternoon it would be hard to argue we didn’t feel a whole lot better already. But there was more. Checking into our stunning accommodation, a spacious living room and en suite bedroom over two floors, we made ourselves at home before joining the diners in the main manor house.

The restaurant was full, with an inviting hum of chatter and just the right mix of formal details and laid-back atmosphere.

My partner chose Berkshire pork terrine, roast lamb and warm chocolate fondant for dessert, while I went for smoked salmon blinis, butternut squash risotto and finished with apple tartlette. The food and the service were excellent, and all at a very reasonable price.

Foxhills did indeed do what was promised – the holiday equivalent to a power nap!

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