The newly refurbished Donnington Valley Hotel and Spa has to be one of the easiest destinations to reach by car. Situated just a few minutes south from junction 13 of the M4, the four star hotel is an ideal retreat from the bustling city of London.

There are also excellent train links every thirty minutes from London Paddington to the local station and, better still, with Newbury Racecourse nearby, the gentlemen could easily spend a day at the races while the ladies lie back and relax in the spa sampling the many treatments on offer.

Although the modern exterior of the Donnington Valley hotel may lack the grandeur of older establishments this is more than compensated for with their fantastic hotel suites. The lounge area of our suite was tastefully furnished and, accessed through a large arch. The bedroom with adjoining bathroom perfectly complemented the lounge area. On arrival our robes and slippers were found neatly folded on the huge bed and my partner and I slipped into these before making our way to the spa. Fortunately, this was just down the corridor from our suite so, although it was bizarre to be wearing matching outfits, my fear of strolling through reception in such attire soon abated.

The spa itself was a relaxed affair although my first treatment was a little shall we say, fierce? The ‘Aquasun Mineral Treatment’ promised to ‘recreate the key beneficial elements of a beach holiday’. Indeed the setting was very relaxing; the candlelit room had a shallow bath with sun canopy and a wooden deck chair with pebbles scattered in the corner. Music played softly as I lay back into the dead-sea mineral water and the low UV sun canopy dropped to warm me with its healthy rays. Aahh…cue ‘warm jets to gently massage the body’ at which point I thought a speedboat must have been thundering by. Actually it was the sound of the jets. But, after glancing down to see my thighs being pummelled to within an inch of their lives, I was quite happy to forego the relaxing element in the hope that I would emerge from the shallow waters with the taut body of a nineteen year old. Not quite but, thirty minutes later, I left feeling energised and relaxed in the spa lounge before my next treatment.

The ‘Donnington Valley Spa Pure Aromatic Facial’ was tailored specifically to my needs. Once wrapped in a towel and lying down in the warm glow of the room, the facialist asked me how I wanted to feel following the treatment and requested that I chose the products by scent alone. I opted for relaxation, with spa blends to match, then closed my eyes for sixty minutes of pampered bliss.