Hen Weekend Spa
I really want to share my amazing hen experience with others because it was simply a dream like weekend from beginning to end thanks to my amazing group of girlfriends, who between them took the time to make my hen weekend so special and memorable .
Friday at work was just like any other Friday. At 5.00 p.m. I was preparing to leave, for what I thought was a few 'after work' drinks with the girls in a local bar. When I reached the lobby of our building what a site greeted me. Six of my close friends were standing next to the open door of a white stretch limousine with dozens of white and pink helium balloons in hand. 'What on earth', I exclaimed, at this surprising site. 'Ramona, said my best friend Sarah, 'from this point on it is all about fun, relaxation and pampering – climb in'. Despite my protests of , 'what about this and that', my girlfriends laughed and said, 'relax, everything is taken care of, don't worry - you worry too much'. The girls were giving nothing away about our final destination as the limo departed and we headed out of the city. The limo had its own bar and music system and we laughed, giggled and sipped champagne during the journey into the countryside. About an hour later we arrived at an elegant country house hotel and Spa located in the heart of the New Forest.
We were greeted by a friendly and professional staff and shown to our luxurious and very well appointed rooms which had all the facilities you would expect of a Country Manor Hotel, complete with beautiful views of some of the 20 acre landscaped gardens and woodlands. It was then that Sarah told me that for two nights we were leaving the stresses and strains of our London lives behind. I could hardly believe my ears. With the anxieties of wedding planning over the last months I had been suffering a bit from the 'bridal blues' and to say that 'this was exactly what I needed' was a gross understatement.
The many facilities of the hotel included an indoor heated pool and two gymnasiums with state of the art fitness and exercise equipment, steam rooms and saunas. We hastily dumped our gear in the rooms and opted for an early evening dip in the pool followed by a sauna. Afterwards we all jumped into the jacuzzi and ordered ourselves wine and light food from the bar. After being suitably steamed and soaked and several bottles of wine later, we showered and took a taxi into the nearby town to sample the local bars and nightlife. Nicola amazed us all, and attracted a fair amount of attention, with her pole dancing talents.
Not wanting to sleep the following day away, we had a fairly early night (for us) and arose bright and early for a full day of activities. Sarah had booked us some high speed outdoor Go Karting at a local track. Following my initial horror and opposition it turned out to be one of the funniest and thrilling days out I have ever spent .Talk about getting the adrenaline pumping. After being kitted out with the appropriate safety gear and given an instructional talk by the track staff and an initial practice session, we got so fired up racing each other around the track. There was loads of friendly competiveness between us girls, weaving in and out, and overtaking each other with woops and hollers of satisfaction. Jo was particularly good at it, and is considering taking it up as her new hobby with her boyfriend Vladi. It was a memorable and hilarious experience for all of us.
We ate a traditional lunch in a quaint little local pub before returning by taxi to the hotel. All of us were in for a full afternoon of complete pampering to indulge, detox and rejuvenate. The spa's treatment rooms combined soothing music, candles, warmth and delicate fragrances to create a completely relaxed and sensual atmosphere. Each of us opted for various styles of back, shoulder and facial massages to relieve our tired muscles and nail and hand conditioning treatments and other specialist facial therapies to rejuvenate our skin. Jayne and Samantha said that they particularly enjoyed the hot rocks massage which really penetrates the muscles and relieves tension. The treatments left us all feeling fully cleansed and in a complete state of relaxation particularly after the Go Kart Racing antics of the morning.
On our final evening we opted for a short walk in the Hotel's garden's, another dip in the pool and a sauna. We had a delicious and very large dinner in one of the hotel's restaurants accompanied by the beautiful music of a live pianist. In the morning the limousine arrived to return us home - right to my door – amazing service.
This was a hen weekend which really fantastically combined both fun and indulgent pampering. Meaning that on the one side the Country House Hotel was a haven of tranquillity and comfort, and on the other the extra activities we did were energetic and invigorating. But most of all, thanks to my amazing girlfriends, my mind, body and soul felt relaxed, soothed and refreshed all ready for my big day.
