WALLET WATCH Calcot Manor is not a cheap option but there are a variety of good-value packages. A standard double room is £278 a night inclusive of breakfast and dinner. Family rooms start at £245 for bed and breakfast. There is a children’s supplement of £25 per child per night, but this includes breakfast, supper from the children’s menu and childcare, whether in the crèche or the playzone.

OCEAN SPA
Bedruthan Steps Hotel, Mawgan Porth, Cornwall (01637 860555; www.bedruthan.com)

USP From the outside the Bedruthan Steps Hotel has an undisguised utilitarian look but who cares when it has killer views of Mawgan Porth beach and a five-star character and conscience to boot (the hotel is hot on sustainable practice). The newly refurbished Ocean spa has four treatment rooms, an indoor swimming pool, thermal suites, aromatherapy rooms and uses Ren and Voya products.

WALLET WATCH VIP Ocean Maharlika – signature massage (£60 for 70 minutes); a Maharlika head massage is £40 for 40 minutes and the Ocean Spa Top to Toe (£117 for 2 hours).

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Top 5 London day spas

We've hand-picked five of the capital's best day spas for part-time pampering

BACKGROUND

• Top 5 serene retreats

• Spas for real people

• Top 10 breaks to get you out of a rut

Related Internet Links

• For more than 270 spa reviews

LAKE VYRNWY HOTEL
Llanwddyn, Powys, SY10 0LY (01691 870692; www.lakevyrnwyhotel.co.uk)

USP Their boast of “a spa pool that may lay claim to the best waterside view in Europe” might not be an exaggeration. The view from the thermal suite and sun terrace, as well as many of the rooms, is positively mesmerising — shimmering Lake Vyrnwy with its trademark lone gothic tower surrounded by a voluptuous hillscape. One could spend hours reclining on the spa’s tepidarium day couches (gently heated tiled chaise-longues) dreamily watching the light and wind play on the water. The spa, which uses organic Thai Ytsara products for the treatments, is brand-spanking new, part of a tasteful new wing of this Victorian hotel which also houses 14 new executive suites, most with lake views.

WALLET WATCH September short break prices start at £120 per person, twin share, for two-nights with full Welsh breakfast. Access to the spa's thermal suite costs an extra £20 per room per day, if booked in advance, which can be offset against treatments.

THE LOWRY SPA
The Lowry Hotel, 50 Dearman Place, Chapel Wharf, Salford, M3 5LH, (0161 827 4034; www.thelowryhotel.com)

USP The Lowry is Manchester’s most fashionable hotel and has a central location on the River Irwell, five minute’s walk from the city’s shops and restaurants. The first-floor spa is light and airy, with six treatment rooms and a lounge and relaxation rooms that have large glass windows overlooking the river. The spa should retain this feeling of space when it moves to the site next door over three-floors and with a 25-metre pool, wet areas and gym.

Wallet watch The Life Saving Back Treatment lasts 45 minutes and costs £45. The spa also has facials from £50 for 55 minutes, massages from £30 for 25 minutes and other treatments including wraps, scrubs, slimming treatments, colonic irrigation, waxing, tints, manicures and pedicures. There are also treatments catered to men and various spa packages.

THE SPA AT THE CARRICK
Cameron House, Loch Lomond, Dunbartonshire G83 8QZ (01389 755 565; www.devere.co.uk/chs1)

USP State-of-the-art spa on the banks of Loch Lomond combines urban luxury with rural tranquility. When you finally stop gawping at the awesome scenery and get into the circular reception decked out in creams and dark wood it becomes obvious that a lot of care and attention to detail has been lavished on the interiors.

WALLET WATCH Kerstin Florian Signature Caviar Facial, 90 mins, £125; Golfer’s Recovery Massage, 50 mins, £80, European Deep Cleansing Facial, 60 mins, £65

AYUSH WELLNESS SPA
Hotel De France, Jersey (+44 (0) 1534 614000; www.defrance.co.uk)

USP Located in Hotel de France, one of Jersey’s finest hotels, Ayush Wellness Spa is the first UK destination spa dedicated to Ayurveda – the 5,000-year-old healing science and its principles. The spa combines authentic Indian therapies with luxurious treatments in stunning surroundings - 17,000 square feet of stone, wood and open glass walkways overlooking landscaped gardens and a fabulous infinity pool. Overall, the spa has an incredible feel of space and tranquillity.

WALLET WATCH Taking into account the quality of treatments and facilities, Ayush offers excellent value. A two-day retreat including yoga, treatments and two night’s bed and breakfast starts from £175. Longer programmes from three to 21 days are available. Treatments on an individual basis range from £30 for a body exfoliation, £50 for a dosha specific facial and £110 for a two-therapist massage.

SAMAS SPA
Park Hotel Kenmare, Ireland (00 353 64 41200; www.parkkenmare.com)

USP A sleek spa in perfect harmony with its natural surrounds. The warm outdoor vitality pool overlooks a rocky glade with tall pine and beech trees where crows nest. Numbers are limited in the spa – with hotel guest priority - so you always feel well attended by staff dressed in khaki smocks. This is a country hotel in its own grounds, yet the pretty town with all its hostelries is just a stroll away.

WALLET WATCH Pick any treatment for about £90 each for an hour; the couples suite is £120 per half day. Three nights B&B with two dinners from £550 per person.

For more than 240 reviews of spas worldwide visit Times Online's Good Spa Guide

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