25Northampton Chronicle & Echo, Saturday, February 25, 2012www.northamptonchron.co.uk

richard.edmondson@northantsnews.co.uk

with Richard Edmondson

BEING a slightly cyni-cal-around-the-edgesjournalist, I alwaysfeel a bit scepticalwhen a place calls it-self “romantic”, writesAnna Brosnan.

But the Alexander House Hotel& Spa has good reason to apply thisadjective as recently it scooped a topaccolade from the worldwide SpaFinders Readers Choice Awards,which named it the Best Spa for Ro-mance in the UK.

With such a title to live up to, myhusband Payat and I headed to thispretty oasis in the West Sussex coun-tryside to find out if the claims weretrue.

There are many reasons to visitSussex, of course, not least – as I readexcitedly on the internet – the actualexistence of AA Milne’s real life Hun-dred Acre Wood, made famous in theWinnie The Pooh stories. In reality,the site is known as Ashdown Forest.

But, with only one night to spend inthe area, I had another mission on theagenda: the full and proper use of themany lovely spa facilities at Alexan-der House.

On arrival, I was immediatelyimpressed with the site. Going upthe drive, towards this beautiful oldproperty felt a little bit like being in aSunday evening TV series. I expectedDame Maggie Smith to appear at anyminute.

We were greeted by a smart con-cierge and – having arrived before3pm – we had a bit of time to killbefore checking in so we took a walkin the hotel’s grounds.

The hotel’s 170 acres of parklandare a major attraction offering plentyof rolling countryside to explore aswell as deer to spot a trail is markedon a walking map close to the hotel).

Finally it was time to head to thespa, the main point of our visit. And,yes, it does have a romantic atmos-phere.

I first managed to drag Payat offto one of the many exercise classes,a very relaxing stretching session,which seemed a combination of yogaand pilates. Payat was also relieved tosee there were other men in there too(possibly also cajoled by their wives/girlfriends).

Then we had a quick change and

headed to the main spa room which– as seems to be the trend in the spaworld – boasted a Grecian inspiredinterior designed to create a calmingatmosphere. I can see why they do it,though, as it definitely works.

We made sure we used all thefacilities, completing a few lengths inthe pool, enjoying the bubbles in thehydrotherapy pool and even readingmagazines in the relaxation room.

Sadly, one feature we were unableto enjoy was the spa garden’s outdoorbubble tub, which overlooks some gor-geous countryside. Due to the beautyof this spot, it wasn’t surprising thatit was always full of people so we werenever quite quick enough to make itthere.

The spa is also blessed with 25therapy rooms and I headed off to oneof these to enjoy my aromatherapyfacial, which was very relaxing andreally left my skin feeling soft andglowing.

The hotel itself is very elegant, withtwinkling chandeliers and various artpieces dominating the corridors. Andour room did not disappoint, with itsgorgeous dark wood decor, deep red,velvet curtains, squashy sofa, soft bedand free standing bath.

Finding a book of Percy ByssheShelley poetry in the room, I thoughtthis was just an extra romantic touch,but I was interested to discover thatthe property now occupied by Alexan-der House Hotel was once owned bythe poet’s family.

Apparently Fen Place was once theseat of Roger Bysshe, whose daughterHelen married Timothy Shelley. Helenwas Percy’s grandmother.

Having changed for dinner, we

headed down to AG’s restaurant and, Ihave to say, our meal there was a realhighlight of our stay.

Although having been mentionedin the Michelin Guide, the restaurantdoes not – as far as I know – havea Michelin star . . .but it probablyshould.

Eating at AG’s is really a wholeevening affair, as you just don’t wantto leave, and Payat and I sat down toa banquet which included celeriacmousse amuse bouche, little palateteasers such as Parmesan and pestosticks and mackerel with caviar. Thencame a slow cooked farm egg with but-ternut squash, artichoke and Parme-san crisps.

As I’m not much of a meat-eater,I probably disgusted our waiter (al-though he didn’t let on) by requestinga vegetarian option and I was disap-pointed when the answer came: “wecould offer you a plate of vegetables”.But what an amazing plate of vegeta-bles, cooked in several different waysacross a huge platter; the dish lookedlike an art work and tasted amazing.

Meanwhile, Payat tucked into a dishof John Dory fish with pine nuts andcaramelised onions.

After this we were presented withhandmade mint ice creams in tinycones before our puddings arrived:pistachio souffle and malted milkchocolate ice cream for me and a ter-rine of basil infused citrus fruits forPayat. As if this was not enough . . .then there were yummy petit fours.

Heading back to Northamptonshireearly the next day, we certainly feltvery relaxed and happy after a week-end of pampering. It was well worththe trip

A spa-kling staywww.alexanderhotels.co.uk/alexander

Factfile

Alexander House & Utopia Spa Hotel can be found in Turners Hill, East Grin-stead, Sussex. Payat and Anna travelled by train to East Grinstead station,which is only a short taxi ride from the hotel.To book at the hotel, ring 01342 714914 or email reservations@alexanderhouse.co.ukThere are many pricing structures and package deals on offer so it is worthexploring the website, www.alexanderhotels.co.uk/alexander

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