Marquis Spa

FIRST IMPRESSIONS

The Marquis is a boutique hotel and restaurant in the pretty village of Layham in leafy Suffolk. A three-year major expansion to the tune of £14 million was realised this year with a brand new wing taking in an impressive wedding venue and four new bedrooms, as well as Italian gardens with tennis courts; 26 acres of vineyards (watch this space for Pinot Noir); and a spa.

As soon as you spot the rows of grapes on your left, indicate to turn left into the gravel car park which overlooks the gardens. The entrance to the hotel is just past the attractive bronze sculpture; the spa is housed in the basement.

WHAT’S ON OFFER?

Lauren, our spa host, met us warming ourselves by the open fire in the hotel’s cosy lounge-cum-bar and led us down the winding staircase to the spa. Here, a well-thought-out palette of creams, natural materials and a redbrick wall screams stylish yet cosy.

Invited to take a seat on comfy armchairs – in front of shelves of Natura Bissé and Oskia products – we completed consultation forms and chose lunch on iPads, put wristbands on for the internal doors and accepted branded bags containing fluffy robes and flip-flops to keep. If you don’t want yours, put them in the laundry bin in the changing rooms; they will be recycled and used to create children’s playgrounds. We were then taken on a tour of the spa.
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Beyond the spa’s own reception desk is a mani / pedi area for two spa goers at a time – we loved the huge tower of OPI polishes reaching the ceiling; the changing rooms (of which there are two) are opposite. These are spacious and well-equipped with 16 full-height wooden lockers with gold code panels and a vanity bar for four with bronze-edged mirrors and all the amenities you could wish for (ask at reception for straighteners). You’ll find two curve-backed showers with cream walls, gold rain-heads, and Cypress Organic shampoo, conditioner and body wash are beyond the lockers, as well as a loo behind a glass door to the right. Everything was gleaming and immaculately clean on our visit.

The pool and thermal facilities can be found through a glass door opposite the changing rooms. The entire space gave us Med feels with its crypt-style ceiling, huge window overlooking the outdoor pool and the gardens beyond, redbrick encasing, creamy walls and underfloor heating making it warm and cosy (if not a tad too warm on our visit).

The 10-metre pool is a thing of beauty – the water appearing green atop a cream floor – swim towards the views for more of those Med feels. There’s a raised hot tub for six at a time in the corner, also bathed in creams with green-hued water (we sipped glasses of Champagne in here like Kings), huge silver swan necks for cooling off under and an attractive sauna in the corner with dual wooden seating for eight in front of a wall of individually placed round cork, presumably in a nod to the vineyards.

The comfiest of loungers – with blankets, side tables and towels – surround the pool; the table beside our pre-allocated side-by-side loungers already adorned with decanters of water, glasses, colourful macaroons packaged with a black bow and a printed itinerary of our spa day in an A5 leather folder. With only 12 spa goers allowed in the space at any one time, the space felt very exclusive.

For the spa lounge and outdoor pool, head back out the glass doors, turn right and use your wrist band open the door. Doors from here lead to a terrace with tables and chairs; steps down take you to the outdoor pool, which is also 10 metres. Our November visit was met with rain and grey skies, so we didn’t get to try this but loved the grey string loungers with side tables, as well as the pale wood lights doubling up as tables.

TREATMENT TALK

We tried the Oskia Circadian-Syncing Deep Sleep Treatment (60 minutes, £115).

My therapist, Erica, greeted me in the hot tub and led me to one of three treatment rooms handsomely decked out in dark woods with a gold-framed mirror above a grey and gold slate-backed sink.

Talking me through the treatment, Erica asked me to select from one of two oils – CBD or normal (I chose the latter) and then left the room so that I could put on disposable undies and get comfortable on the treatment bed, lying face down.

The treatment began with three deep breaths, a good drizzle of the heated oil and a light massage using circular strokes. Back done, Erica lifted the towel to take care of my legs and arms in turn, before asking me to turn over so that she could repeat the massage on my front. At this point, I was almost asleep.

Erica then seamlessly moved a shoulder massage up to my neck and scalp, giving a satisfying stretch of my neck as she did so. The treatment ended with three simultaneous pushes on my head and heart which grounded me no end.

Erica then left the room so that I could come to and re-robe, meeting me outside with a glass of water and a dry towel.

The Marquis offers a range of massages and facials from Oskia, facials from Natura Bissé and OPI mani /pedis, as well as advanced facials from CACI and reflexology.

FOOD FACTS

Lunch is served en robe in the spa’s own lounge with its cream armchairs and tables, space-age coffee machine and drinks dispenser around the corner and retro phone to use to order extra drinks.

Sunny day? Open the doors and lunch on the terrace overlooking the pool. Solo spa-ing? Grab a magazine and pore over the glossy pages whilst tucking in.

We were invited to choose two courses from a menu of starters, mains and desserts – extra courses and alcoholic drinks can be paid for separately. To begin with, we opted for a light salad of pear, rocket, pomegranate and mini mozzarella balls; our spa partner devoured a beetroot tarte Tartin with goat’s cheese mousse with pickled walnut dressing. For mains, we both went for the cod with lemon Gnocchi, Samphire and chicken butter sauce. Empty plates all round.

For dinner that evening we dined at the hotel restaurant with its open kitchen and stunning valley views through floor-to-ceiling panoramic windows. We loved the old oak barrels being used as tables – another nod to the location. If it’s sunny, you can dine on the outdoor terrace.

A large menu of seasonal British classics had us salivating. We timed our autumn visit with hearty dishes divided into headings of Appetisers (think house focaccia with whipped butter), To Share (Oysters done two ways), To Start (Beetroot Tarte Tatin), To Follow (Beef Wellington), For the Table (Rare Breed Chateaubriand to share), From the Grill (burger and steaks), Sides (Truffle Parmesan Fries), To Finish (Marquis Cheese Board) and, finally, Sweet Wines.

After a lot of to-ing and fro-ing, we went straight to the main course and plumped for a steak each (one Sirloin on the bone; one a perfectly-cooked fillet) served with sides of truffle parmesan fries and green beans wrapped in pancetta. We accompanied this with the recommended light French Beaujolais. Too sated for dessert, we took the rest of the wine to enjoy in our newly-appointed suite.

WE LOVED / WE DIDN’T LOVE

We loved

The views: whatever the season; whatever the weather, the views at The Marquis Spa will not disappoint.

The service: from glasses of Champagne delivered to the hot tub to being collected for treatments wherever guests are, and from pre-allocated loungers to cold towels placed just outside the sauna, the service at The Marquis Spa is top notch.

The design: we loved the stylish use of creams and natural materials juxtaposed with red brick, as well as the large windows for those killer views and the comfiest of loungers.

We didn’t love

The absence of a relaxation room to continue that post-treatment Zen.

WHO DO YOU THINK WOULD LIKE IT?

Locals: it’s high time this beautiful county opened another great spa for Suffolk folk to frequent.

Foodies/wine lovers: the food is already noteworthy; wine will be produced here within a couple of years – watch this space.

We saw several mother-and-daughter duos enjoying the spa on our visit.

WHAT BUBBLE RATING DID YOU AWARD THIS SPA?

We awarded The Marquis the highest Good Spa Guide Bubble Rating of 5 Bubble Luxury for its stylish design, well-thought-out-facilities, good range of treatments, pretty-as-a-picture views (and food) and those La Dolce Vita feels.