Quob Park Rose Spa

First Impressions

Built in 1707, Quob Park Hotel & Spa has made its home in a Grade II listed Georgian building on Hampshire’s Wickham Square. Once the last coach house on the London to Portsmouth route, it has just 10 bedrooms – and bucket loads of ye olde English charm. Step through the pretty portico entrance adorned with climbing white roses and you’re greeted with exposed wood beamed ceilings, gently flickering fires and glass walls lined with row-upon-row of wine bottles – a nod to the 180-acre estate and vineyard a short drive away.

Behind the hotel you’ll find a spa garden complete with hot tubs, cold water (wine) barrel plunges and a wine pod, no less.

What's on offer?

Take the path to the right of the hotel entrance to the Rose Spa found behind a large metal gate engraved with vines, roses and butterflies – a theme that continues throughout the spa. After a friendly welcome and a quick tour, we were handed our white robes, grey towels and black comfy sliders (a welcome change to flip flops) - before being shown to the quirky Shepherd Hut changing rooms.

Small but perfectly formed, the hut comes with a bank of half-length, code-operated lockers – you’ll find more just outside on the walkway to the spa, along with a costume spinner - plus two compact changing areas; pull the curtain across for privacy. Three private showers are equipped with ESPA Bergamot and Jasmine Shampoo, Conditioner and Bodywash. After showering, choose from three vanity areas with stylish console-style tables and light-up LED round mirrors, hairdryers and GHD straighteners; help yourself to complimentary Caudalie skincare samples and cotton wall pads.

A few steps back to the reception area, you’ll find two spacious treatment rooms - one a double – two mani/pedi stations, two high-tech massage chairs that scan your body before performing a personalised treatment, a loo and a pre-treatment area with two comfy upholstered chairs. Displays of Caudalie, ESPA and Aromatherapy Associate products serve only as a distraction from the selection of wines in the very tempting by-the-glass Enomatic dispenser.

Up a windy (rather tight) freestanding staircase you’ll find the magnetic waterbeds glowing in purple on the mezzanine floor above. The lower spa garden is home to two hobbit-like barrel sauna, two cold plunge barrels and two bubble hot-tubs - one of each mirrored on each side of the garden.

Take the steps up to find the three Infrared cedar sauna loungers and press the green button for instant heat before lying back and soaking in views of the flickering fireplace on the wall opposite; floor-to-ceiling windows give a sneak peek into the garden beyond.

Around the corner you’ll find a toasty menthol-scented steam room with star-lit ceiling; cool off at the ice fountain or press ‘cool mist’ in the experience shower.

A door leads from here to the middle of the three spa garden spaces - we particularly loved the large bubbly jacuzzi; select your required jet ferocity on the digital panel. If you’re brave enough, sink into the endorphin-pumping Brass Monkey cold-water plunge – a wine barrel, of course - complete with well positioned seat to allow for optimal shoulder dunking. Warm up in the next-door barrel saunas; larger than the other two, you can lie back and toast.

Two grey rattan loungers facilitate chill-out time, along with an oval rattan day bed and egg swing. All overlook a water feature with a tank of koi carp beyond.

Keep an eye out for buttons dotted throughout the spa to summon a spa butler for some lounger-side hydration; the Quob Park Classic Cuvee will not disappoint. At the very top of the garden, you’ll find additional seating plus a wine pod; use your pre-loaded card to choose from eight different varieties.

The gym and Restaurant 1707 can be found back in the main hotel.

Tell us about your treatments

We tried a Deep Tissue Massage (60 minutes, £80) and an Invigorating Foot Treatment (30 minutes, £50).

Ebony, my therapist, led me to the treatment room and talked through the massage, discussing any areas of concern – tightness in glutes and a knotted neck. A scent test decided on the massage oil - Aromatherapy Associates Support Breathe Pure Essential Oil Blend got my vote for its head-clearing eucalyptus, pine and tea tree; a bowl was placed beneath the bed for me to inhale during the treatment.

Ebony then left the room so that I could de-robe and get comfortable on the treatment bed, lying face down. The treatment began with some deep breathing – breathing in for seven seconds and out for 11 – before Ebony applied Aromatherapy Muscle Gel to my body and used stretching movements to loosen the muscles.

She then applied the oil and began long slow strokes, using elbows and forearms to work out any deep-seated tension in my back and legs, paying attention to my lower back.

Turning onto my front, Ebony set to work on the front of my legs – the knee element was surprisingly soothing; the arms, décolleté and the side of neck all got the VIP treatment before ending with a blissful scalp massage.

For the foot treatment, Ebony used an ESPA scrub on my feet and lower legs before yet more heavenly massage. My spa partner had the same Deep Tissue massage, plus an express facial, with her therapist Valerie and came out looking suitably relaxed, proclaiming it was the best treatment she'd had.

Afterwards, we were handed a glass of water and made our way to the Infra-Red Sauna Loungers to relax.

The Quob Park Rose Spa treatment menu features wine inspired Caudalie treatments, as well as rituals from ESPA and Aromatherapy Associates.

Food Facts

Change out of your robe and wander back to the hotel to feast on afternoon tea or two-course lunch at Restaurant 1707. Located at the back of the hotel, the restaurant has original wooden beams and leads out the orangery area which looks onto the spa.

We enjoyed a starter of Hampshire Pork Belly with honey & soy, and pineapple and chilli chutney, followed by a main of Slow Roasted Chicken Breast with new season asparagus, crispy hens’ egg and roasted garlic mash. Our spa partner opted for Heritage Tomato and Baby Beetroot Salad, followed by Mediterranean Cottage Pie with garlic and basil flatbread.

In the evening, ahead of dinner, we got acquainted with Quob Park Estate’s own English sparkling wines. Grown in similar conditions to that of the Champagne region – underlying chalky soil and higher-than-average temperatures – the Quob Park Classic Cuvee is seriously good, reminding us of Veuve Clicquot. The hotel has over 1,000 bottles of wine to choose from; we made a beeline for the wine-by-the-glass Enomatic dispensers and taste tested our way through both old world and new world wines.

For dinner we opted for the Trio Quob Park starter: a very more-ish lobster bisque with rosemary skewered scallops and tiger prawns served with aioli and Julienne vegetables. For mains: a deliciously tender Rump of South Downs Spring Lamb with Shepherd’s Pie bon bon. We finished with a Chocolate Delice served with a scoop of ice-cream – yum.

We loved / we didn't love

We loved

The cool and quirky facilities: anywhere with a dedicated plunge pool gets a thumbs up from us. Throw in the luxury infrared sauna loungers; a shepherd hut to change in and an in-spa wine dispenser and you’re winning.

The top-notch treatments: both therapists delivered excellent treatments that left us feeling so deeply relaxed we may have fallen asleep. The Aromatherapy Associates oils felt divine on our skin.

The staff: not just in the spa but across the hotel and estate too, everyone we encountered was down-to-earth and professional.

We didn’t love

While there are plenty of real roses and vines to be admired, fake flowers just aren’t our bag.

Who do you think would like it?

Wine aficionados: not only can you try over 150 wines from the dispensaries dotted around the hotel and spa, you can also hop in the Land Rover Discovery – with its own personalised fizz-inspired number plate – and be whisked to the 180-acre Quob Park Estate; set in a natural clos with pinch-me views over row-upon-row of vines, you can sip seriously good sparkling wine.

Besties: with so many hidden nooks, you can find an area all to yourselves giving private spa vibes – perfect for a catch up. And did we mention the wine-by-the-glass dispensaries?

Couples: book a tasting at the vineyard, a twilight evening in the spa – there’s a double treatment room with your name on it - before resting your head in one of the 10 boutique rooms in the hotel. You can bring your pooch, too.

What Bubble Rating did you award this spa?

We awarded Quob Park Rose Spa a Good Spa Guide Bubble Rating of 5 Bubbles for its quirky spa design, good choice of heat and ice facilities, great range of treatments from three treatment houses, down-to-earth yet professional staff and incredible selection of wine.