Horticultural Elegance
Lucy Daltroff visits Rockliffe Hall in County Durham and enjoys fine dining and an impressive new spa with treatments based on plants and flowers.
It wasn’t just the beauty of the 18th Century estate or the 375 acres of land on the banks of the River Tees that attracted my attention on approaching Rockliffe Hall, but the man peeling bark from the lovely chestnut tree on the front lawn. I later found out it was for use in the spa.
Recently opened Rockliffe Hall is a privately owned 5-star hotel, a short drive from Darlington railway station. It has a championship golf course and what is reputed to be one of the best spas in the country. The Hall’s original proprietor was a horticulturist and the spa has continued this tradition with many treatments based on plants and flowers.
It took just two and half-hours to get there in comfort on a direct train from London’s Kings Cross. Durham is nearby, as are Newcastle, York, Leeds and the Yorkshire Dales. I arrived buoyed up looking forward to a short break and some enjoyable R & R.
The warm greeting and smoothie offered while registering boded well, as did the efficient yet unobtrusive service. I learnt that the hotel was originally the former home of the family behind the Stockton to Darlington Railway and Barclays Bank and was designed by Alfred Waterhouse, the architect of the London Natural History Museum.
First stop was my comfortable bedroom suite, complete with country views, flat screened TVs in the living area and bathroom, mood lighting and a jungle shower. Even more impressive was the easy touch keypad, which opened the door in half a second!
I soon made my way to the spa, passing en route the Technogym and fitness studio. I felt a bit strange in my robe and slippers walking through the hotel – mental note – remember to change in the spa next time. This slight inconvenience was forgotten as soon I entered the fabulous spa. I was amazed initially by its sheer size – some 5,000 square metres – and then by the variety of facilities on offer.
My favourite experience turned out to be the 11-metre hydrotherapy pool – the largest in the UK, with different water spouts timed to keep the visitor guessing when they would activate. I didn’t quite get the hang of it, but that was part of the fun.
The thermal suite offers opportunities to move between hot and cold. I started with the warm beds in the Tepidarium, great for backache and then soothed my tired muscles in the steamy Caldarium. Then I tried the Tropicarium and Igloo suite, designed to energise and improve circulation, and finally the gently warm Salt Room, good before a massage or to clear respiratory problems like sinus congestion. You can even sit on a series of ceramic ‘thrones’ and bathe your feet with alternate hot and cold water by pressing a button.
The 20-metre indoor swimming pool is bordered by stained glass windows rescued from a derelict chapel on the Rockliffe estate. These look great during the daytime and even more spectacular at night, as I was to find out. The spa offers 13 luxuriously equipped treatment rooms all with en suite showers, a couples suite, and a rasul mud chamber. Beza, one of the spa butlers was on hand to provide complimentary fresh fruit and drinks. There is also a spa restaurant, the Waterhouse Bistro, serving healthy Mediterranean food.
I had pre-ordered my treatments from the spa menu and decided on the Sweet Pea and Rose Facial (60 minutes) and the Horse Chestnut and Pine Scrub and Wrap (90 minutes). Both treatments use exquisite Ila products and reflect Rockliffe Hall’s long tradition of flowers and the horse chestnut trees within its grounds. Ila (the Sanskrit word for earth) are all-natural products hand blended in the Cotswolds. They are made from pure plant and mineral ingredients and sourced from all over the world by Denise Leicester, the company’s founder. The Comfort Zone, a luxury Italian brand, is also used in the spa.
At the beginning of my treatment, Karen my therapist explained the various procedures so I knew exactly what was going on. She began by exfoliating my body with the Argan Seed Scrub. This effectively removes dead skin cells, while stimulating the lymphatic and circulatory systems and eliminating cell toxins. Horse Chestnut Gel with anti-inflammatory properties was then applied to strengthen veins and reduce cellulite. While I was wrapped up, my face was cleansed, exfoliated and toned with Sweet Pea and Rose Serum and Face Cream. Karen then used lymphatic massage techniques to help the products penetrate my skin. She also told me about the special properties of the flowers – Rose is anti-ageing and firming, so helps decrease lines and wrinkles; Sweet Pea rejuvenates the skin making it more smooth and supple.
Time for a shower after which Karen applied Argan Oil, to nourish my skin and Bees Wax Body Balm, which was warm and quickly spread over my skin. The treatment finished with a Sweet Pea and Rose Facemask and later a Sweet Pea and Rose Face Cream.
Feeling drowsy and healthy I was shown to the Relaxation Suite where I lay on a Sound Wave Bed and almost wished I hadn’t agreed to join a Yoga class with Liz Holmes the Spa Director. However it was fine, as Liz is kind and certainly knows her stuff.
That evening I had booked a special dining treat – the eight-course taster menu in the Kenny Atkinson Orangery restaurant. Kenny is one of the winning chefs on the BBC TV series the Great British Menu and with two rosettes to his name, has a great reputation. The meal exceeded all expectations and was one of the best I have ever tasted.
Next day, after a full English breakfast, it was time to have a lesson in Nordic walking, the fastest growing outdoor fitness class. I didn’t quite master the pace and managed to lose one of the plastic covers from the bottom of my stick, but enjoyed the experience in the beautiful grounds, especially as they were bathed in sunshine.
After yet more delicious food – a great tuna steak lunch in the Bistro with beetroot and hand-made chips – it was time to reluctantly head home feeling refreshed, healthy and glowing!
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Rockliffe Hall, Hurworth-on-Tees, Darlington, County Durham DL2 2DU
Telephone 01325 729 988 www.rockliffehall.com Eight course tasting menu in the Orangery £60 – with wine pairing £100.00 One-night spa breaks from £195 per person (sharing a double room). Return train tickets from London to Darlington start from £27.00. |
