Weekend at Esprit Spa and Wellness
- Ife Adedoyin
- Apr 5, 2018
- 4 min read
What’s better than a spa weekend? A surprise spa weekend! Going to the spa isn’t a regular thing I get to do even though I thoroughly believe it should be, everyone deserves a bit of relaxation, we shouldn’t have to wait until our bodies completely shut down on us before deciding to take care of ourselves. Luckily my sister’s birthdays were coming up and one of their friends had the brilliant idea to surprise them with a spa weekend. After a few days of checking out deals and long group chat conversations, we finally settled on a place, Esprit Spa and Wellness at the Holiday Inn in Reading. We found a relatively affordable package for £120.77:
Overnight stay in a tranquil room
Choice of one 25 minute Dermalogica treatment
2 course set menu with a bottle of prosecco
Full English breakfast
Full use of the esprit fitness and spa facilities
Getting there was easy enough, luckily it was only a half an hour drive but the snow did make it a bit difficult. Trying to keep it a secret from the twins while also checking in was a bit difficult as they thought it was just a family thing but the staff made check in really smooth and easy so they didn’t suspect a thing! As soon as we got to the room, we were greeted with bottles of prosecco and sister’s friends of course. I wish I had taken pictures of the room and the bathroom as well (drinks were flowing) but they were really nice. We had a queen bed with a bath and shower, the colour scheme was so nice and everything was so clean! They also provided us with our own bath robes and as soon as I put I’m on, I was so ready to get to that pool.
The only disappointing thing about our visit, but it was a huge one, was that they couldn’t accommodate a group our size for the treatments which was really disappointing especially when we were told so close to us going. They were really lovely about it and provided us instead with an extra course, bottles of prosecco and £50 off our booking. Even though we didn’t get to have the treatments, we did have a great time by the pool. The area itself was heated and there were sun loungers so even if you didn’t want to swim, you could still relax.
The pool was amazing, absolutely freezing at first but afterwards it felt incredible. I haven’t been swimming in ages so it felt great to be in the water for so long. Obviously after a photoshoot or two, we hit the sauna and the steam room and it was incredible. I definitely preferred the steam room to the sauna, even though it was great, dry heat makes me feel like I’m suffocating after a few minutes. If you’ve been feeling stressed or burned out, I would definitely recommend going to a steam room, I’ve never felt so relaxed in my life, my muscles felt so loose and I swear I could have fallen asleep but we still had dinner to go!
Dinner was the highlight of the evening. As amazing as the pool and the steam room was, this is the best meal I’ve ever had at a hotel. Usually when I go out to eat, I try to stick to what I know because what’s worse then spending money on something you didn’t enjoy? I tried to be as adventurous as I could but most of the things on the menu seemed like foods I would enjoy anyway so I ended up deciding on the Ajwain Salmon starter, Hyderabad Lamb curry and a chocolate sponge for dessert. The salmon starter didn’t look anything special (hence no picture) but it was the best salmon I’ve had in ages, it was seasoned so well, I could have had it as a main but then I would have missed out on the curry. Lamb curries are my favourite and this one didn’t disappoint at all. I was really surprised with the portions as well, they were huge! I almost couldn’t eat my dessert but surprisingly I found room. Dessert was delicious of course, chocolate sponge can never go wrong. The staff who served us were so lovely and friendly, they were absolutely hilarious as well, it’s always nice when you’re in a large group who may be a little bit louder than the rest and the staff still treat you as a customer instead of as a burden.
I absolutely loved staying here, breakfast was just as good as I thought it was going to be and it was definitely worth the price, even without the treatment! I would recommend double checking with the hotel about the treatments, especially if you're in a group just to avoid any disappointment! You can visit the website for all the different packages right here!
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