I discovered Bedford Lodge Hotel and Spa about 18 months ago, and I have already racked up five spa breaks… I just wanted to share this beautiful place with all of my nearest and dearest (so long as I was invited along for the ride!). Last weekend, my lovely friend and I were there, pushing open the door to the spa after planning a long-awaited Christmas/Birthday treat. We love a spa day – I mean, who doesn’t?! And it was so worth the wait. The whole stay was such a massive treat in every sense and we were both in need of some time out and relaxation.
Bedford Lodge host so many amazing spa break offers and we had chosen their ‘Sunday Break’ back in March.
Sunday Break Package:
Relax & Revive Massage (35 minutes)
A Glass of Prosecco (on arrival or with lunch)
Use of hydrotherapy and heat experiences on the day of treatments
Robe, towel and slippers provided
3-course dinner at our award-winning Squires Restaurant
Bed and Breakfast at the stylish Bedford Lodge Hotel
Use of our Health & Fitness Club
Bedford Lodge Spa
You are welcome to arrive at the Spa from 9am, and we arrived about 9.30am. It is such a beautiful set-up, the spa and hotel are housed in gorgeous crisp white Georgian buildings, set in acres of green gardens. The spa is a separate building to the hotel. It feels ever more luxurious, as you escape the busier hotel and retreat behind tall ivy and follow lavender lined pathways to the spa’s front door.
I believe they intentionally never over book the spa so it always has a sense of space, calm and quiet. There is nothing worse than an overcrowded and noisy spa and I think they ensure, this is never the case by never oversubscribing a day.
The rooms and furnishings are gorgeous, as soon as you walk in you are met by a friendly receptionist, we checked in and were shown into the restaurant to fill in the necessary contact and health forms. We were also given a canvas bag, with spa slippers, a locker key on a tiger eyes bracelet and a swipe access pass to the spa. We declined a spa tour (as someone had been so many times before…!) and made our way to the changing rooms.
The spa facilities are just perfect – a hydrotherapy pool with bath-like warm water, jacuzzis and water massage jets, a big sauna and HOT steam room. Upstairs you find a relaxing balcony, with loungers, lemon and lime infused water and lots and lots of magazines.
Our favourite space, on this beautiful sunny July day, was the outdoor rooftop hot tub! We headed straight there as the spa was so quiet and enjoyed a good couple of hours in the bubbles and sunbathing on the loungers.
Lunch
We had lunch booked at 1pm, and the only negative we had was the slow service during our meal. On a spa day you want to make the most of every moment, so a long lunch (which I would normally love) is not ideal on a day like today. We had a complimentary glass of prosecco and ordered the Mediterranean vegetarian platter, the perfect choice for a veggie/vegan mashup as everything was served in separate dishes.
Marinated Tofu, Baby Mozzarella, Stuffed Green Olives, Hummus, Sun-Blushed Tomatoes, Balsamic Onions, Spinach Leaves with Roasted Red Pepper, served with Fresh Walnut Bread.
After we had finished lunch, and on our second glass of prosecco (when in Rome!) we decided to finish our bubbles in the garden on the patio. The sun was beaming and the patio was in a beautiful private garden, adjacent to the hydrotherapy pool. We could have sat there for hours, but we still had plenty more relaxing to do in the spa!
Spa Treatments
Included in our package was a Relax and Revive 35 minute massage.
A condensed massage for those who suffer with tension related headaches and neck strain.
If you have little time to spare, this deeply soothing back, neck, shoulder and stress releasing scalp massage is an ideal way to melt away tension and relieve tight muscles. You’ll feel revived and invigorated for the day ahead or relaxed and calm for a peaceful night’s sleep.
We were met by a spa therapist in the upstairs balcony area and taken across the rooftop to the treatment rooms. We were each given a choice of oils from the ESPA range and then … 35 minutes went, way too fast! I love getting a massage, and I wish I could afford to get one more regularly to work out some of the tension and tightness, particularly in my shoulders. I am also… a bit of a wimp, and I cannot bear hard or heavy pressure massages, so I always make a point to explain that to the masseuse before we start.
Bedford Lodge Hotel
After our day at the spa, we headed over to the hotel next door to check in to our room for the night. The hotel is lovely, grand but so friendly. The reception area feels light and modern. They have perfected the juxtaposition of the modern décor against harnessing the natural charm of this old Georgian building. I love the high – ceilings, arched windows and grand doorways. Squires Restaurant and Bar, also located on the ground floor is stunning and one of my favourite restaurant spaces within a hotel, anywhere.
Our room was just right – the perfect size, with two comfy twin beds, tea and coffee making facilities complete with take way coffee cups (which were amazing the next morning for the drive home!). A mini bar with complimentary water, a generous sized bathroom with complimentary Molton Brown products, and SKY TV. The beds were heaven; why do crisp white linen sheets in hotels feel so dam good?! It was a beautiful place to spend the night. So much so, that after dinner we retreated back to our room to make use of SKY Movies and to finish our wine from dinner.
Squires Restaurant
I always look forward to dinner in Squires Restaurant, the food and service are so impressive and it is the best way to finish a spa day, with an extra dose of luxury. Included in our package was a £30.00 allowance each for our meals. Their menus are extensive (there were 3) and they also had a specific vegan menu which was both a delight and a relief!
There was a huge variety of gorgeous dishes to choose from- we even wondered how the kitchen could cope with so many options! But plate after plate that whizzed passed us to neighboring diners looked perfect and so tempting. We decided to go with the three-courses for £30.00 to keep things nice and easy.
To start:
Tofu & Tomato Salad
Dressed Rocket Leaves & Balsamic Pearls
Main Event:
Sweet Potato & Butternut Satay Curry
Served with Rice & Poppadum
Dessert:
Carved Exotic Fruit Platter
With Lime Sorbet
To Start:
Thai Spiced Butternut Squash Veloute
Main Event:
Pan fried Salmon
Served with Pickled Onions, Beetroot & Aubergine Puree
Dessert:
Textures of Chocolate
With Cookie Dough Ice Cream
The food was stunning and I was more than impressed with the vegan food offerings. I was actually spoilt for choice. The service was quick and we paired it with a bottle of Karu, Chilean Merlot 2016. Karu means ‘seed’ for the Polynesian natives of Easter Island, the Rapa Nui- a reminder that big things often have small beginnings. And I loved that sentiment. The wine was delicate but punchy.
Breakfast in Bed
Check out from the hotel was at 11am, which suited us just fine as we had to go to work in the afternoon – so were heading straight back to reality! We had a stroke of genius, the night before, as we decided to order breakfast in our room. In each of the hotel rooms is a breakfast food order form, and so long as you hang it outside on your hotel room door before 2am, you will be greeted with breakfast in bed! Otherwise, it is back down to Squires Restaurant for their normal breakfast service.
We ordered our food to arrive between 9-9.30am, and just before 9.30am there was a knock on the door. In came, the most decadent of trays with fresh juice, tea & coffee, toast with jams and honey, and fresh hot pastries. This was followed by two plates with cloches on top.
Avocado on toast with fresh lime. 
Big breakfast with poached eggs, sausages, bacon & baked beans.
It was unbelievable, and I am now considering if I should ever go and eat breakfast in a hotel restaurant ever again! The excitement when it all came in and the decadence of breakfast, literally in bed- was the best end to our break.
All in all, our trip to Bedford Lodge Hotel and Spa was just amazing, just what we needed- pure escape, quality time together and a hefty dose of luxury! We had a wonderful time, and honestly I am already planning my next visit!
