USP Less than an hour from Central London yet feels like you are on a luxury planet miles away from the hustle and bustle.

AMBIENCE A cocooned and relaxing modern spa with Anoushka Hempel management. It is set in a turn-of-the-century Gothic pile with its own grounds overlooking the Thames.

EXPERIENCE I plumped for one of the most popular treatments, a back and scalp massage, with full facial and hot stone therapy. The therapist got her thumbs into my knots and eased my shoulders - by the end I was in a supremely relaxed state.

FOOD Healthy options in the spa, while the youngest recipient of a Michelin star, Aiden Byrne, cooks in the hotel’s Oak Room restaurant.

IN CROWD Well-to-do Home Counties ladies who lunch.

WALLET WATCH My treatment cost £100 for an hour and 25 minutes. Treatments range from £30 for a 30-minute manicure to £225 for a Molton Brown Day with facial, body polish and wrap and access to spa facilities.

NEED TO KNOW Danesfield House Hotel and Spa, Marlow-on-Thames, Bucks (01628 891010; www.danesfieldhouse.co.uk)

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