The Best Value Spa Break in the North East - Redworth Hall Hotel

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It had been a fair while since Simon and I last enjoyed a spa break together so to finish off our recent week long staycation in style we headed down to Newton Aycliffe in Co. Durham to enjoy the best value spa break in the North East at Redworth Hall.

To be completely honest Redworth Hall has never been on my radar when I've been planning a North East spa break, it certainly isn't a place that you ever really hear mentioned which is a real shame because let me tell you now, it is absolutely beautiful. A stunning 17th century Jacobean Manor House set in 26 acres of landscaped gardens, the hotel is such a find and a great spot to enjoy a break in the countryside.

The Retreat Spa

We arrived at The Retreat Spa at Redworth Hall the morning of our stay to give ourselves plenty of time to enjoy the facilities ahead of check in time.

The Retreat is a brand new feature of the hotel following a multimillion pound refurbishment and offers guests a spa area including an indoor pool, treatment rooms, jacuzzi, steam room and sauna as well as a fitness studio and L'oreal hair salon.

With a variety of spa days available from only £40.00 per person, there's a spa day for every budget. Considering how much some spas charge just to use their facilities you are definitely getting great value for money at Redworth Hall and each spa day comes with a list of perks. Many include lunch or afternoon tea in The Lounge, the Retreat's very own dining area, and some include a treatment.  If, like us, you really want to push the boat out then there are also spa breaks available to include an overnight stay at Redworth Hall with three course dinner and breakfast the next morning.

Although we did sit by the pool briefly we spent most of our spa experience in the wonderful Tranquil Room, located in the Beauty Studio. It was such a peaceful room filled with thermal loungers, something I'd never experienced before. A simple control on the side of each chair changed the temperature with the hotter settings ideal for having a little doze. Is there anything more indulgent than a midday nap?

We were booked in for a 55 minute treatment each which we decided to take in the dual treatment room. I love spas that have rooms for two, it's such a treat to enjoy your massage with your other half or best friend and if a spa has one we always try and get ourselves booked into it. Although we hadn't specifically asked for it, I love that they realised we were husband and wife and offered us the opportunity to have our massages together.

Simon had opted for the Aromatherapy Full Body Massage (£60.00 ) - and I went for the Hot Lava Shell (£65.00) - my massage was absolutely beautiful. One of the best I have ever had, my therapist used the perfect amount of pressure to suit me and checked that I was OK throughout my treatment without being intrusive or waking me up. The hot shells felt absolutely amazing easing the tension in my shoulders and back (anyone else who works at a desk all day will know how tense your shoulder muscles get!) and I was absolutely gutted when my treatment was over.

Our other favourite part of The Retreat was The Lounge, a relaxed hangout where you can unwind with a nice coffee, enjoy a glass of fizz or even indulge in an Afternoon Tea, all whilst wearing your fluffy spa robe. We had a lovely post treatment lunch whilst I enjoyed the lovely surroundings (the lounge is beautifully decorated with blossom trees and gold detailed mirrors) and Simon chuckled at the bizarre conversation being had by a group of ladies enjoying some wine behind us.

Exploring Redworth Hall

Check in at Redworth Hall is at 3:00 pm and not wanting to a waste a moment of our stay we pretty much arrived at the doors spot on. Having never seen the hotel before I couldn't believe how beautiful the building was, a country manor house to be proud of, it was quite a sight and has some really lovely features including some really stunning stain glass windows.

Our arrival was effortless and welcoming and as we walked through Reception we admired the beautifully decorated lounge, another part of the hotel that's recently been renovated, I loved the grand looking framed pictures, fireplace and comfortable looking chairs.

Forever nosy I couldn't resist asking reception about which parts of the hotel had recently been refurbished, which somehow lead to me being able to take a sneaky look at the Grand Hall that was set up ready for a wedding. Wow!  What a stunning room, one of the most magnificent places in the North East to get married, I spent ages admiring the fireplace and huge windows behind the top table.

A lot of the rest of the hotel is in need of a bit of a refurb but with a hotel of such a size and in such a beautiful iconic building this obviously cant be done over night and needs, I should imagine, a lot of budget and a bit of time and care to preserve its beautiful features.  I think Redworth Hall Hotel have definitely done the right thing, focussing on the parts that need to be refurbished first - the Grand Hall, Reception Areas and Spa.

Our Bedroom at Redworth Hall

As our stay was part of a Spa Break we were in a Deluxe Double Spa Room at the back of the hotel above the Health Club and Spa.  A decent size we had a comfortable double bed, small seating area, desk and a very fancy looking bathroom.

The Deluxe Double Spa Rooms all come with deluxe spa bathtubs and a very special multi jet shower that I was equally thrilled and terrified about using - one wrong button and I'd probably get a face full of water. Luckily I managed to find the instructions before I climbed in.

The only part of our room we were a little disappointed in was the tea tray. We love a good quality tea tray in a hotel room and the one in our room was a little half heartened and featured two of the world's smallest biscuits, one sachet of hot chocolate (you need a pretty strong relationship to survive a fight over "who gets the hot chocolate" and some tea and coffee.

Dining at 1744 Restaurant

The 1744 Restaurant at Reworth Hall Hotel serves up a fusion of English and European flavours using seasonal and, where possible, locally sourced ingredients with two courses available for £24.50 and three courses for £28.50. As we were dining as part of a spa package we could choose a three course meal with any supplements clearly marked on the menu. Most of the menu was included in our choices with just some of the usual suspects like steak incurring an additional charge.

We were very lucky and managed to bag ourselves in the most beautiful part of 1744 Restaurant, during busier evenings they open up the part of the restaurant usually used for private dining, if you can nab yourself a table by one of the huge windows you really are in for a treat, it's a truly lovely place to dine.

I started my meal off with Soup of the Day which was a lovely rich tomato served with a bread roll and, this is my favourite part, a really generous amount of butter. Does anyone else get annoyed when places ration  your butter? I'm greedy and I like to spread mine very thick so I was over the moon to get so much. Simon opted for the Pressed Local Ham Hock Terrine served with pickled baby vegetables, toasted sourdough and piccalilli sorbet - he enjoyed it but did comment that piccalilli in sorbet form was a little odd (and very cold!)

I struggled to make a choice when it came to the main course as there were so many things that I wanted to try. The menu at 1744 is pretty good with plenty to choose from, in the end our lovely waitress helped me to decide because I just couldn't pick. I went for Scottish Salmon and Oriental Stir Fry - egg noodles served with ginger, hoisin and lime dressing.

It was delicious but if I'm being honest I spent most of my meal just looking at Simon's food with jealous eyes. He had the Braised Featherblade of Beef and it was incredible - served with creamed potato, roasted vegetables and red wine sauce, the  meat was melt in your mouth delicious.

Of course we couldn't resist dessert. I opted for the Belgian Waffles with Balsamic Strawberries, Mint (which unfortunately was mysteriously left off my dish - gutted!) and Clotted Cream. Simon won with this course as well and had the Sticky Toffee Pudding with Butterscotch Sauce, Date Puree and Salted Caramel Ice-Cream.

We really enjoyed our first stay at Redworth Hall Hotel and although parts of the hotel are still in need of an update we left with a bit of a soft spot for the place. It is easily the best value spa break in the North East and the quality of their facilities and treatments is great. The staff were all really lovely and very helpful and our evening meal at 1744 was such a treat

.. and did I mention how beautiful the building is?

I'd love to know if you've been to Redworth Hall Hotel before or if you've experienced the new look spa yet?

Find Redworth Hall Hotel at:

Surtees Road
Newton Aycliffe
DL5 6NL

01388 770 600

thecairncollection.co.uk/hotels/durham/the-redworth-hall/

We received a complimentary Spa Break including Treatments, Lunch, Overnight Stay, Three Course Dinner and Breakfast in exchange for this honest review. We paid for our own drinks.