Elegant Resorts | What could be...

Who doesn't love a good old spa day?! A chance to hit the pause button and unwind, now imagine a spa day but so out of normality you're almost floating... Oh and whilst your near a beach and in the sunshine! Hard to imagine when you're stuck riding the daily work train.

I was asked to experience a small taste of what a holiday with Elegant Resorts could be like by enjoying a similar experience here in the UK. Heading to beach in the UK doesn't have the same appeal... Fish and chips and penny falls don't exactly float my boat so I decided to go for a spa day.

A stones throw (sort of) to where I'm from is Ragdale Hall, apparently one of the best in the UK. My Mum only went last week to spend her voucher and friends told me how amazing such a place is, so as you can imagine I was ready for this. With all that has been going on with my life in general I was really looking forward to having some 'me' time with my Refresh and Revive Spa Day (costing £133.00 which included a 3 course lunch).
I kicked off the day with a complimentary drink and was talked through my timings with a member of staff. You have to wait to be signed in and because it took so long I couldn't make the step class, but instead of letting it stress me out I went straight to the pool for some swimming. I was the only one doing front crawl as everyone else chilled in the jacuzzi and slowly floated along doing breast stroke, I was starting to realise I clearly find it hard to relax...

I got out the pool and made my way to the Hydro Spa, essentially a collection of rooms with a different goal for well being such as a sauna, steam room, think room. I think my favourite was the candle pool where you could listen to classical music and just sit, it may not sound much but I nearly fell asleep it was so peaceful! Afterwards I made my way to float along in the heated outdoor pool. Bliss.

As I'm an active bunny I wanted to do some classes as Ragdale offer a wide range. I thought a bit of Zumba and yoga both looked like a great options. I won't lie having done Zumba before and one of my friends being an instructor, it wasn't well taught and rather a disappointment. The whole idea of Zumba is to keep your heart rate lifted whereas for each track we had to stop and go through each individual move (of the entire track) before starting it. A bit pointless if you were looking to get a good workout even if people hadn't done it before, plus I'm pretty sure even if you were new you'd pick up doing a simple step touch. Don't get me wrong the other classes I tried were good, I just love Zumba normally and it was a let down.


After Zumba is was onto the main part of why I was here... the spa treatment! I love nothing more than a pamper session with a new face mask but having someone else pamper me so I can switch off is bliss. I was having a 50 minute back massage and facial combined, all my muscles ached from working out the other day and I'd just had a skin breakout... perfect timing it seemed! It was all very relaxing but I did feel a bit put off when the lady doing my facial started pointing out the fact I had lines here and there, dark circles and that I needed to invest in this product and that product. I know they're there to push sales but that really put me off and I walked away feeling rather old! Such a shame because the actual experience was wonderful.

Once I'd enjoyed my spa treatments I was waiting about for lunch with time to kill, so instead of doing my standard clock watching I made my way into one of the quiet rooms to read my Women's Health magazine. When did I last sit and read a magazine cover to cover? I can't even remember! It was well needed and I even took myself into the little shop on site and explored the other rooms. Lunch was a three course meal and because I hadn't eaten anything since 7.30am and I was s-t-a-r-v-i-n-g. The food was absolutely delicious I just wish I could of eaten more but I would of exploded!

I finished lunch soon to be welcomed by a food coma, the best option (as many will agree) was to grab my book and head into the silent room for a read... and of course an afternoon nap! I finished my day feeling relaxed and ready to tackle the world. I hadn't switched off like this in months.
Even though it was lush I would much rather do this sort of thing away from my day to day life. Being near the beach and somewhere with white sands and blue skies would be top of the list... which I'm sure you'll agree. Even though spa days in the UK serve a purpose you're really looked after abroad at one and have the bonus of the sunshine... my Mum and Dad went to one in St Lucia and loved it so much they went back. You can enjoy fabulous similar experiences with Elegant Resorts but for a spa related holiday it seems their Caribbean resorts looks the best! Oh yes... honeymoon maybe?! A big *hint* to my husband to be!
Anyone had a holiday that has spa treatments, if so where do you suggest is best to go?

p.s I was meaning to take lots of pictures of my experience but for once I decided to turn my phone off for a needed break.