Fawsley Hall Hotel & Spa

Fawsley Hall Hotel and Spa is an impressive country pile set in the rolling Northamptonshire countryside. Rich in history, this opulent Tudor manor was once a royal bolthole; Queen Elizabeth I rested her crown-weary head here. Free-roaming sheep graze contentedly on the lawn. Fawsley Hall became part of the Hand Picked Hotels portfolio in 2013; it has a 60 bedrooms and a two AA Rosette Restaurant.

The Spa at Fawsley Hall sits within a separate building - a renovated coach house to the right of the hotel - which underwent a £1.5M refurbishment in 2021.
 

Spa guests can park in the main car park and head straight to the renovated coach house spa building. Impressive glass doors lead to a light and spacious reception area which cleverly pairs exposed sandstone brick, wood beams and original windows with white walls and modern pendulum lights. We collected our spa bag - containing a white robe, flip-flops and towel, as well as Comfort Zone Tranquillity shampoo, conditioner and shower gel to use in the showers – and were given a tour of the spa before being shown to the changing rooms.

The changing rooms are calm and spacious with natural-hued floor tiles, wood effect walls and silver accessories On entering, you'll find find three white hand basins beneath rounded silver mirrors to the left and the vanity area - with its row of hairdryers and straighteners perfect for post-spa preening in front of the Hollywood-style mirrors – behind you. Lockers, of which there are plenty, are operated by a key code; undress beside several benches or nip into one of two private changing cubicles. Each of the four showers contains Scentered De-Stress body & hand lotion, shampoo and conditioner. You’ll find the swimsuit dryer just outside.

The re-imagined 17-metre pool looks sleek with a dark grey wall on one side and floor-to-ceiling glass on the other, flooding the room with natural light. The pool is large enough to swim laps, although not deep at just 1-metre. Perfect your back-stroke while looking up at the mirrored ceiling which is illuminated with spotlights. Poolside you’ll find a Finnish sauna and steam room – both deliciously hot on our visit and large enough for two to stretch out.

Relax after a swim on one of the pool-side rattan loungers and look out onto the terrace. Around the corner, you’ll find two new thermal rooms: a gently-heated herbal heated room with comfy curved wooden bench seats and a Himalayan Salt room with a glowing orange and red brick wall, perfect for cosying up on a winter’s day.

Slide open the glass door to access the spa’s pièce de résistance: a sleek infinity-edged hydro pool surrounded by white pebbles. We sank into the steamy pool and enjoyed 365-degree views of the spa and towering tree-tops. We loved this so much that we snuck back for a moonlit dip after dinner. Spa heaven can be reached by ordering a poolside drink from one of the Spatisserie team; Melanie kept guests hydrated with glasses of chilled water.

Nice day? Pad across to the raised garden area beyond the pool and breathe in the country air. Currently home to more loungers, further renovations will begin here soon.

Feeling restless? Head to the new spacious gym beside reception and work out in front of green fields, visible through floor-to-ceiling glass.

You’ll find the treatment rooms down a flight of stairs from the reception area and the relaxation room – with its beds and fleecy blankets - up a spiral staircase.

The spa also has its own Spatisserie café serving drinks, snacks and lunch.

We tried the Comfort Zone Himalayan Salt Massage Ritual (55 minutes, £78).

My therapist, Tammy, met me in the spa reception and led me to a cosy, low lit treatment room. Tammy talked me through the treatment before leaving the room so that I could disrobe and lay face up on the bed.

The treatment commenced with a massage using heated Himalayan Salt blocks which were placed on my back. Tammy then applied a warm and soothing Comfort Zone Body Strategist Oil – with its uplifting scent of orange, lemon and peppermint – to perform a knot-busting massage. I was then asked to turn over so Tammy could repeat the process on my front.

Tammy then rubbed Himalayan salt into my skin, including my stomach, before doing the same on my back (if you wish to stay in one position during a treatment, this might not be for you). Tammy wrapped me up in blankets to keep the heat in, and raised my legs on the treatment bed. As I sunk back and relaxed, Tammy completed a heavenly scalp massage using a Tranquility Blend oil.

Tammy then began unwrapping the blankets and buffed off the remaining scrub, before applying a firming Body Strategist D-Age Cream.

Afterwards, my skin felt incredibly soft and I felt re-energised for the evening ahead.

Fawsley Hall offers a vast range of massages, facials and signature treatments including Elemis Biotec facials and Comfort Zone rituals. The spa also offers treatments for pregnant women, reflexology, nails by Jessica and Delilah vegan-friendly make-up.  

Feast in your robe in the new Spatisserie Café under a wood-beamed ceiling with hanging pendulum lights. An exposed brick wall lines one side of the café with floor-to-ceiling glass showing off the hydro pool on the other.

On the menu: sandwiches, salads and starters such as chicken liver parfait with red onion chutney and toasted brioche, as well as sharing platters, and heartier dishes such as spinach and ricotta ravioli.

We opted for the British & European charcuterie platter which came with olive bread and pickles. Our vanilla cheesecake with toffee sauce and salted caramel ice cream was to die for.
The café also offers a tempting selection of desserts and afternoon tea with wine and Champagne. Dietary requirements can be catered for on request.

If you’re staying the night, don’t miss dinner in the two AA Rosette Ceder Restaurant located in the South Wing of the hotel. The stunning Tudor-era architecture is worth the visit alone – all arched windows, exposed brickwork and oversized tapestries.

We began our meal with a light (and delicious) Cornish Crab Salad served with cornbread, turnip and apple chunks. We followed this with seasonal Venison Wellington with parsley root, yellow turnip and Juniper Jus. The venison was a great alternative to beef. Our post-meal palette-cleansing Champagne, orange and mango sorbet danced on the tongue.

Diners can tuck into starters such as grilled asparagus, confit egg yolk puree and sherry vinegar and mains from the grill – we were sorely tempted by the tuna steak and Chateaubriand to share.

We loved

The bubbly outdoor hydro pool: Having this to ourselves on a crisp autumn night, with its twinkly lights, was incredible.

The Spatisserie Café: Attentive friendly staff, delicious food and the warm sun shining through the floor-to-ceiling glass made lunch a real treat.

The countryside setting is simply breath-taking: our visit felt like a real escape.

We didn’t love

The spa is open to members, hotel residents and day spa-goers, making it difficult to bag a pool-side lounger at busy times.

Couples: The hotel and grounds are very romantic, and the hydro pool screams “moonlit dip for two.”

History lovers: Want to spend the night in a room where Elizabeth I once slept? Now you can. Fawsley Hall tingles with history and ghosts too, apparently.

Small groups of friends: Afternoon Tea with Champagne in the Spatisserie café followed by putting the world to rights in the spa… what could be better?

We awarded The Spa at Fawsley Hall Hotel the Good Spa Guide Bubble Rating of 5 Bubbles for its sleek water and heat facilities, new spa café, attentive staff and good range of treatments.

Scarlet Spy visited in and awarded it 5 Bubbles.