The best spa hotels in the south of England

Advice

As the UK country hotel scene innovates and evolves at high speed, spas are very much keeping the same pace. You can’t move these days for not just new spas opening but also, and perhaps more importantly, the classics giving themselves a little dust off and shake up. Out of a flurry of redecoration and reconsideration of their offerings (from product lines to sustainability efforts) comes an invigorated generation of places to escape to for rest, for relaxation, for rejuvenation.

Local ingredients (some plucked straight from the kitchen gardens) now headline the treatment menus as well as the restaurant menus. Therapists are highly trained but also listen and are not afraid to go off-piste anymore. Visiting practitioners drop in, retreats are a regular occurrence and collaborations are getting more and more interesting. It is a holistic approach that makes these wellbeing addresses sing. Here is our fresh pick of the best spa hotels in the south of England.
 


How we review

Every hotel in this curated list has been visited by one of our expert reviewers, who are usually hosted on a complimentary basis. They stay for a minimum of one night, test at least one meal and trial other experiences that the hotel might have to offer. 
 



The Newt in Somerset

Castle Cary, Somerset, England

9
Telegraph expert rating

The Newt is set within a vast estate in the Somerset countryside, with the main hotel occupying the Palladian-fronted red-gold limestone Hadspen House and more rooms taking over a renovated farmhouse. The house lies alongside impressive gardens cultivating many of the ingredients you’ll come across in the restaurants as well as in the treatments of the spa. An indoor-outdoor pool is at the heart of the spa, which in addition houses a sauna, steam room and treatment rooms, a herb garden and hammam. Fitness and wellbeing sessions such as sound healing, yoga and Pilates also take place here.


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From


£
383

per night

Rates provided by
Mr & Mrs Smith

Coworth Park

Ascot, Berkshire, England

8
Telegraph expert rating

This classic yet modern country house hotel on the edge of Windsor Great Park wins acclaim for its picturesque setting, dining experiences and eco-luxury spa. Joining the 1776-built manor house, now stylishly designed for the modern day, is a timber and glass spa building that’s topped with a living roof and set into the hillside. In this wellness sanctuary you’ll find a blue-lit swimming pool with underwater music, steam rooms and treatment rooms, a gym, terrace, Spatisserie and outdoor tennis courts. The hotel’s cosseting rooms and suites are split across the main mansion, cottages and stables.


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From


£
600

per night

Rates provided by
Booking.com

Heckfield Place

Hook, Hampshire, England

9
Telegraph expert rating

The design-forward Hampshire hotel, Heckfield Place, pairs a natural contemporary aesthetic with the farm-to-table dining concept of Skye Gyngell and the wellness experiences of its 2023-opened spa, The Bothy. This new spa sanctuary makes the most of the house’s picturesque surroundings. Guests can take in these views from the outdoor hot tub or through the glass walls of the infinity pool and sauna, which are joined by a steam room and six treatment rooms. Nature threads through the Wildsmith therapies offered here. Movement sessions like forest bathing and cold water immersion further connect you with the land.


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From


£
600

per night

Rates provided by
Mr & Mrs Smith

Thyme

Southrop, Cotswolds, England

9
Telegraph expert rating

A cluster of honey-stone buildings, from a farmhouse and former rectory to cottages and a pub, make up this beautifully decorated hotel, with paths through the grounds linking them with each other. Aside from being drawn in by the idyllic locale, some guests come for the epicurean experience (there’s a cookery school too), while others arrive for the Meadow Spa specifically. The spa provides a haven of tranquillity in which treatment rooms are spread across the Meadow Cottage and Botanical Bothy. The spa’s restaurant, Orchid House, which has a living roof that’s planted with native orchids, serves light lunches in a space looking out to the pool.


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From


£
500

per night

Rates provided by
Booking.com

The Scarlet

Mawgan Porth, England

8
Telegraph expert rating

An adults-only sanctuary overlooking Mawgan Porth, The Scarlet caters for those seeking serenity in a spectacular setting. The glass-sided indoor-outdoor spa makes the most of the hotel’s cliff-edge, beach-view location. Guests can unwind in the light-filled relaxation lounge, which looks out onto a natural pool and the ocean beyond, between making use of equally as panoramic wellness facilities such as cliff-top hot tubs, a natural outdoor pool, a sauna cabin with portholes overlooking the beach and an indoor pool. The holistic therapies here are designed to restore your natural balance. A nature-inspired restaurant and sea-view rooms complete the experience.


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From


£
375

per night

Rates provided by
Booking.com

Babington House

Somerset, England

9
Telegraph expert rating

The Somerset outpost of Soho House, this fashionable country escape takes over a Grade II-listed manor house in 18 acres of manicured grounds. The spa has become a particular draw here having become known for launching the now popular Cowshed range of products. The Cowshed spa, which is open to Soho House members and overnight guests, lies beside a walled garden. It’s here that you’ll find an indoor pool, the heated outdoor infinity pool with lake views, a steam room, saunas and a gym with personal trainers. Therapies at Babington House include the Soak Tub experience in a private room with a view of the walled garden.


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From


£
360

per night

The Grove

Chandler’s Cross, Hertfordshire, England

8
Telegraph expert rating

This manor house hotel, known for its destination restaurants, outdoor pursuits including a championship golf course and impressive spa, is idyllically set on 300 acres of glorious grounds yet still within easy reach of London. The focal point of Sequoia Spa is its black-mosaic-tiled statement pool, with other facilities then including a large Jacuzzi, sauna, steam room and 18 treatment rooms (for Bamford or Natura Bissé spa therapies) as well as a tranquillity room designed by StudioJill. You can unwind from a treatment or refuel after the gym in Sequoia Kitchen where nutritious dishes are served in a light-filled space spilling outdoors.


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From


£
575

per night

Rates provided by
Booking.com

Lime Wood

New Forest, Hampshire, England

8
Telegraph expert rating

New Forest National Park provides the scenic setting for this Georgian manor house turned luxury hotel, which among other attributes is known for its Herb House Spa. This emporium of indoor and outdoor pools amid foliage is home to a 16-metre lap pool opening out to a deck, a thermal room looking out to treetops, a sauna with forest views, steam room, tepidarium and hot pools with jets. Herbs are taken from the rooftop herb garden for some of the spa’s holistic treatments, which include ayurvedic therapies. Stay in cosy rooms occupying the main house, cottages and cabins, and dine on the cuisine showcasing Hampshire’s finest ingredients.


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From


£
395

per night

Rates provided by
Mr & Mrs Smith

Calcot & Spa

Tetbury, Cotswolds, England

9
Telegraph expert rating

Both family-friendly and grown-up, this country spa hotel has widespread appeal. Found in the picturesque Cotswolds countryside, outside the town of Tetbury, the honeystone hotel – now decorated with a contemporary Cotswolds look – is packed with spa facilities including a large indoor pool, sauna, steam room, relaxation areas, an outdoor hot tub and heated outdoor pool, not to forget the treatment rooms. At the Grain Store, fitness is the focus, with personal trainers and classes, and the Grain Store Café provides a place to grab a coffee or refuel with healthy snacks. The luxurious accommodation here ranges from Cosy rooms to the terraced Cottage suite.


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From


£
364

per night

Rates provided by
Booking.com

Cliveden

Taplow, Berkshire, England

9
Telegraph expert rating

This National Trust property dating back to the 17th century reflects its extraordinary history in opulent interiors, which are now the setting for a lavish hospitality experience. In wellness, this experience encompasses cooling dips in the estate’s famous “Profumo” outdoor pool and time spent making the most of spa facilities including an indoor pool, hot tubs, a steam room and infrared sauna, plus Spa Kitchen offering healthy dishes alongside juices and smoothies. In fitness, one indoor and two outdoor tennis courts join the gym and studio where over 25 classes take place each week. This is all set within 376 acres of verdant landscape on the banks of the Thames.


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From


£
970

per night

Rates provided by
Booking.com

The Gainsborough Bath Spa

Bath, Somerset, England

8
Telegraph expert rating

As the only hotel to have access to the city’s natural thermal waters, The Gainsborough Bath Spa is known for its impressive wellness offering in particular. Here in the centre of Bath, the striking Spa Village Bath complex, which is Romanesque in style, features a thermal bathing circuit – with one pool set under a glass-roofed atrium – along with saunas, a steam room, ice alcove and relaxation areas. Personalised aromatherapy is brought into the spa’s signature treatments. A brasserie, cocktail bar and all-day dining venue provide post-spa indulgence (including afternoon tea) and sumptuous rooms and suites complete the experience.


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From


£
234

per night

Rates provided by
Booking.com

Soho Farmhouse

Chipping Norton, Cotswolds, England

9
Telegraph expert rating

When Soho House took over this 100-acre Cotswolds estate, they transformed the then derelict farm buildings into stylish upstate New York meets cottagecore spaces hosting an array of dining, sporting and wellness experiences. Highlights include an indoor-outdoor pool that opens out into a lake. You can warm up in the sauna and steam room, drop by the ice cabin and soak in the four onsen-style baths, which are covered overhead but sunken into the lake too. Massages, facials, manicures and pedicures are offered at the Cowshed spa and the Wellness Barn hosts classes ranging from meditation to Pilates.


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From


£
295

per night

Beaverbrook

Surrey, England

9
Telegraph expert rating

In this grand country house hotel where the press baron Lord Beaverbrook once entertained world leaders and literary greats, guests now revel in opulent surroundings home to 18 elegant bedrooms, the Garden House restaurant serving Mediterranean dishes and the Coach House Spa that’s alone worth making the journey for. The contemporary artist Brian Clarke designed a spa with nature at its core where light streams in through ceilings of stained glass. Here, both indoor and outdoor pools meet thermal facilities, a relaxation area, treatment rooms inspired by flowering plants and the Coach House Deli focusing on fresh, seasonal ingredients.


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From


£
587

per night

Rates provided by
Mr & Mrs Smith

Cowley Manor Experimental

Cowley, Cotswolds, England

8
Telegraph expert rating

Owned by the Experimental cocktail and hotel group, Cowley Manor provides an appealing combination of spirited dining and imbibing experiences, luxurious accommodation and activities including wellness pursuits against a backdrop of modern opulence and bucolic grounds. The outdoors is brought into the sprawling C-Side Spa, inspired by the grounds’ lake and natural springs, with facilities spanning an outdoor pool, indoor pool with floor-to-ceiling glass making the most of the views, a gym, relaxation area, steam room, rainfall showers and sauna. Holistic treatments here use natural, organic products. In the warmer months, soak in these surroundings from the pool bar.


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From


£
475

per night

Rates provided by
Booking.com

Contributions by Jade Conroy, Rachel Cranshaw, Kathryn Liston, Fiona Duncan, Harriet O’Brien, Natalie Paris, Emma Love,  Fred Mawer & Harriet Jones

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