A Day Visit to Thorpe Park Spa, Leeds

If your idea of the perfect weekend is to lounge by a pool, to take a dip in a steamy hot tub, to be massaged until thoroughly relaxed and then have the opportunity to feast on scrumptious afternoon tea, Thorpe Park Hotel & Spa should be on your weekend bucket-list. Thorpe Park Hotel and Spa is situated on the outskirts of Leeds, in an ideal location for those looking to stay in the vicinity of the city centre, but would like to escape the city hustle and bustle and  it is also perfect for those looking to venture to other nearby tourist locations such as Harrogate, York and the Dales. The hotel recently won Hotel of the Year in the White Rose Tourism Awards, with the spa facilities being one of the key areas for winning this award.

When it comes to spa days I usually travel quite far out to country retreats, so I was really excited when Thorpe Park Spa asked me to check out their facilities which are almost on my doorstep. I had heard so many great things about the spa and was really keen to see what they had to offer.

The spa features a pool, whirlpool, steam room and sauna as well as an onsite gym, cafe and restaurant area. Spa day visitors depending on which package they choose can pick from a two course meal or an afternoon tea. Visitors to the spa are asked to sign the obligatory spa documents and then make their way into the relaxation area for complimentary refreshments. These refreshments included nuts and fruit and an extensive range of Taylors of Harrogate herbal teas, which is one of my favourite tea brands. The relaxation area itself is superbly decorated in luxe blue, purple and grey colours, with comfy lounging chairs all accessorised with plush velvet pillows. 

Once we had felt settled in the relaxation area, we grabbed our robes and made our way down to the poolside. The pool was nice and spacious and despite being used by hotel guests, it wasn't too overcrowded either. There was ample of chair and lounger space so that each guest was able to have somewhere to sit and for those who wanted to relax out of the way of the pool, there was also a separate relaxation area which on a nice day would open up on to a patio. As well as the pool, there was a whirlpool, Turkish steam room and sauna. While the facilities were all lovely, very clean and in immaculate condition, I feel that if I didn't have treatments I wouldn't have had enough to do to have spent a full day at the spa as there was only a limited amount of activities.

After spending a few hours by the pool, we then made our way to the restaurant for afternoon tea. I opted for the vegetarian version of the afternoon tea which consisted of hummus, grilled vegetable and cheese and onion sandwiches, a fruit scone, raspberry yogurt, chocolate and coffee cake and macarons. The afternoon tea itself was plentiful and a delight to eat, however I did feel slightly disgruntled that I wasn't given a choice of tea which most afternoon teas do offer and although I personally didn't mind that much, I do feel that the vegetarian and meat afternoon teas should have both been on separate stands. 

Overall it was a lovely relaxing day and a great opportunity visit somewhere local for a change. I really enjoyed the facilities and the afternoon tea and I wouldn't mind going back, but next time to check out the hotel alongside the spa.

Have you been to Thorpe Park Spa before?

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