The Spa Hotel at Ribby Hall Village Review

IF affordable luxury really existed, it couldn’t be true luxury, right?

From flashy cars to 5* holidays abroad, the beauty of luxury lies with its exclusivity and, more often than not, the price.  

Unfortunately for the majority of us, luxuries are few and far between but if you’re anything like me you’ll have those occasions when you don’t want to wait. Why should you? Life is for living and all that.

The salty air is said to be rejuvenating for your respiratory system as well as a good healer. You’ll leave feeling awakened, like after a day at the beach.

The Spa Hotel at Ribby Hall Village in Wrea Green, Lancashire is a fresh approach to affordable luxury. It’s not a con – the £5m development is every inch the luxury break it promises. Not even the quality of the carpets have been compromised for the price.

Arriving, I must admit the level of exclusivity didn't sink in straight away. The Spa Hotel is set in the grounds of what is Ribby Hall’s holiday village and therefore it’s the type of comfortable setting you’d initially associate with families rather than a couples getaway.

The Spa Hotel

However, once you’ve driven through the landscaped grounds of the village, past the self-catering cottages and indoor and outdoor family activity venues, a grand, secluded mansion of a hotel awaits you.

If you’re lucky enough to visit on a sunny day, you’ll see it shining out from behind a large pond and fountain, surrounded by miles of green that separates the holiday village from the Spa Hotel. No kids. No family fun pools. It’s a very adult, very beautiful escape.

As it only opened this August, inside it’s all pristine, shiny and new. You get a sense of the attention to detail merely from the reception, where staff are as excitable as you are about your stay. The hotel has a total of 42 bedrooms including two penthouses and twelve suites. I didn't need to rule out the prospect of a plush penthouse suite, as I normally would, as this is where The Spa Hotel differs.

Prices for spa breaks here range from £99 pp/pn for a standard room to £145 pp/pn for an executive penthouse suite, so as you can see there’s not a lot in it.

Penthouse Bedroom

Spa breaks include an overnight stay, dinner in ‘The Restaurant’ or 'The Brasserie', two hours in the spa and a full English breakfast the next morning before you leave. The food isn't a measely addition to the package either. We all know that relaxing in a spa all day can't half build up an appetite and The Spa Hotel has your hunger pangs well and truly covered. All of the suites (one bedroom suite, two bedroom suite, penthouse suite and executive penthouse suite) will have bubbly and chocolates on your arrival too. A welcome touch. 

We stayed in the executive penthouse suite and it’s safe to say I felt pretty damn special. The suite had that posh hotel feel where everything matches and there’s no clutter, but it also felt homely and relaxed to the point that I kept saying ‘I could probably live here.’

The spa is like an oasis too. Rather than a free-for-all type environment where you find people darting in and out of saunas with no clue, The Spa Hotel lays it all out for you in order. It's what they call an Aqua Thermal Journey, and some journey it is.

Hydrotherapy Pool

It makes a lot of sense too. Ease yourself in gently so you don’t get a head rush from going straight to the hottest sauna straight away. Plus you can actually learn as you go. Every step of the ‘journey’ has written explanations of the benefits and expectations of each room.

There are seven different heat experiences in total that are all very different. The Balinese Salt Inhalation Room was my favourite. The salty air is said to be rejuvenating for your respiratory system as well as a good healer. You’ll leave feeling awakened, like after a day at the beach.

In addition, there are several aroma and herbal rooms too – all designed to promote wellbeing of the mind and body or, if you prefer, just a good old chill out session. Some are indoors, others outdoors (the outdoor Jacuzzi is bliss) and then there are some in between such as the daylight relaxation room where you lie on heated beds in a peaceful conservatory and watch the world go by whilst looking out to the luscious green landscape.

Mud Rasul Chamber

It's all very civilised but if you do fancy having a bit of a fun amid your sensory journey, the Rasul Mud Chamber is a chance for you and your partner to get muddy together in private. It’s no ordinary mud mind. Sit on heated thrones and dowse each other in mineral rich mud before letting the water, which falls directly from the ceiling, wash it all away as though you’re in your own tropical rainforest.

There really is too much to pack into this review when it comes to the spa and treatments available. You’ll genuinely be spoilt for choice when it comes to the nine spa signature treatments that can’t be found anywhere else in the UK.

During your stay over, you can take everything at your own pace which is what makes it one of the most relaxing places to be. We enjoyed wandering around at liberty in our robes and slippers. The place is a bit of a maze, but that’s by no means a negative thing. There’s so much to do, explore and experience you’ll wonder what the catch is.

Luckily, there isn’t one.

For more information on the Spa Hotel at Ribby Hall please visit www.ribbyhall.co.uk/spa-hotel/

Follow Lynda on Twitter @lyndamoyo