Spa break at Slaley Hall Northumberland

Spa break at Slaley Hall Northumberland

15th July 2018 51 By Rachael Stray

To celebrate our two year wedding anniversary the hubby and I decided to indulge in a spa break at Slaley Hall in Northumberland.

If you read my two lessons learnt after two years of marriage post you will know how excited I was to be celebrating our wedding anniversary just the two of us this year.

About Slaley Hall

Slaley Hall is a beautiful Edwardian mansion which has been extended and is nestled in 1,000 acres of beautiful Northumberland countryside.

The newer part of Slaley Hall

The newer part of Slaley Hall

Alongside 141 bedrooms, guests can choose to stay in one of their exclusive luxury lodges within the peaceful grounds.

The facilities inside the hotel are available to all guests who choose to stay in the lodges too.

Guests also have access to the health club, including a gym, heated swimming pool and relaxing sauna as well as a luxurious spa.

There’s lots of comfy cosy chairs and sofas on the ground floor of the hotel where you can sit and relax with a coffee or a glass of wine, read a book or magazine or simply have a chat.

Comfy sofas at Slaley Hall

Comfy sofas at Slaley Hall

There’s also outdoor activities to enjoy too including fishing, archery, clay pigeon shooting and lots more.

Our stay at Slaley Hall

We spent the afternoon of Sunday (Father’s Day) having a BBQ with my parents at their house. It was lovely.

Then just after 5pm we parked up and checked in at Slaley Hall.

It’s only a half an hour drive from Newcastle.

Our room was up a flight of stairs which we walked up rather than taking the lift so I could get some extra steps in.

Our bed for the evening

Our bed for the evening

Our room was really clean and had plenty of amenities – tea and coffee, TV, desk, chairs, lots of lamps for ambient lighting, a good sized wardrobe and a nice bathroom too.

Comfy shairs and a lovely view

Comfy chairs and a lovely view

We chilled out for a while and then got ourselves dolled up for our evening meal.

It was nice to get dressed up and be away from home for the night, it felt more like a real celebration.

Quick selfie before we headed downstairs

Quick selfie before we headed downstairs

What did we eat?

Included in our package was £28 each to spend on food for our evening meal.

You can choose from the set £28 three course menu or have separate starters, sharing plates and mains from the main menu.

We opted for the latter option. The menu can be viewed here.

The food was delicious and we didn’t wait long between courses. I really enjoyed my starter of prawn cocktail and avocado.

Prawn cocktail and avocado starter

Prawn cocktail and avocado starter

Steve plumped for the house smoked duck breast salad, candied walnuts and an orange and pomegranate dressing.

Duck breast salad starter

Duck breast salad starter

For our mains we both had the bavette 8oz steak cooked medium rare.

I had the peppercorn sauce and Steve went for his usual French mustard to accompany his steak.

bavette 8oz steak

Bavette 8oz steak

The triple cooked chips were lovely and the steak was cooked to perfection, it was tender full of flavour and just melted in my mouth.

We settled the bill (just paying for our drinks) and decided to have a little wander outside.

Me in the ornamental gardens

Me in the ornamental gardens

We then settled down to enjoy our glasses of wine and each other’s company on a comfy sofa.

Another selfie

Another selfie

With satisfied tummies and tired eyes we made our way back to our room for the night.

Breakfast

The next morning was our actual wedding anniversary and we were up early to get ready and checked out for our spa day.

I enjoyed a lovely hot shower which was easy to use.

Bath and shower in our room

Bath and shower in our room

Breakfast was a buffet with a choice of hot and cold food.

I had two mini croissants, toast, fluffy scrambled eggs and some fruit.

Steve had a more fry-up style breakfast.

We checked out and popped our bags in the car and made our way to the spa for our pamper session.

The spa day

The therapists were friendly and we enjoyed the relaxation room before and after our treatments.

We both opted for the fit for business back ritual spa treatment which involved a back massage, cleanse, scrub and mask and some work on your lower legs and feet too.

The therapist worked on my lower back and right shoulder in particular as I was carrying a lot of tension.

After our treatments we got showered and changed into our swimming costumes and headed to the pool.

It was surprisingly busy for a Monday with couples, friends and families in and around the pool.

The loungers by the pool were reserved with towels so we sat on a bench for a while before having a swim.

After more swimming and splashing in the pool we bagged ourselves two loungers so we could read magazines and newspapers and catch our breath.

Feet up at the spa

Feet up at the spa

With stomachs rumbling we were ready for food.

Lunch

As with breakfast, lunch was buffet style but wasn’t a patch on the brilliant breakfast.

We had a choice of hot and cold food.

Hot food included plain jacket potatoes, scampi, chips, a chicken dish, plain boiled rice and Mediterranean pasta.

The cold food included salad and pasta.

The desserts selection was a highlight – I had three mini profiteroles, a cheesecake and some fruit which were all absolutely delicious.

Our overall impression of Slaley Hall

Our evening meal was gorgeous and breakfast was great.

The spa treatments were lovely and the whole place is so clean.

I particularly enjoy the purple colour scheme throughout the ground floor of the hotel.

However, we didn’t sleep very well due to very noisy air conditioning and a lumpy bed.

I was also a bit disappointed with our lunch – although Steve enjoyed his lunch.

I’m pleased to report that the relationship manager at Slaley Hall offered a full apology and an invitation to return for a complementary spa day and afternoon tea for two which we have accepted and booked.

I would absolutely recommend Slaley Hall,  I think we were just unlucky with our room as I have lots of friends who stay regularly and have always had a brilliant time.

I have also attended several weddings and always had a brilliant time.

The staff are so friendly and welcoming – breakfast and the evening meal were superb and the spa is lovely too.

Our complaint was handled excellently – swiftly and empathetically.

I’m looking forward afternoon tea which I will write a review of which you can read here.

Where is Slaley Hall?

Slaley Hall,
Hexham
NE47 0BX

BY CAR

Slaley Hall is easy to find from the A1. From the South, take the A68 link road and follow the signs to the Hall. From the North, take the A69 toward Corbridge. Then follow the A68 south and look for the signs.

BY RAIL

Slaley Hall is 7 miles from Hexham Station and 30 miles from Newcastle mainline Station.

BY AIR

Newcastle Airport is 28 miles away 35 minutes by taxi.

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How have you celebrated wedding anniversaries? Let me know in the comments below. Do you have any suggestions for how we can celebrate next year?

Other related posts

See what we got up to on a sunny Sunday in Newcastle

Here’s our thoughts on afternoon tea at Slaley Hall

Gin cocktails, luxury menswear and an oasis of ornamental gardens – see what we got up to at the summer soiree at Slaley Hall 

Catch up with our first glamping adventure glamping at Hesleyside Huts Northumberland

Find out what we got up to during our mini break to the lovely Lake District.

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CategoryFood and drink North East Recommendations Relationships
Tagsbreak ESPA health club hotel indulge relax review sauna spa treatments wedding wedding anniversary

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