Spa hotel is a classic retreat

Aug 17 2008 by Roger Domeneghetti, Sunday Sun

PAULINE HOLT takes a trip to the plush Donnington Valley Hotel near Newbury

WHEN the radio station Classic FM was set up 16 years ago, it wasn’t music to everyone’s ears.

Classical music snobs were upset by the popularisation of their Brahms, Beethoven and Bizet, and by the fact that the station’s first sponsorship deal was with a football team . . . Queens Park Rangers.

You may be wondering what that has to do with a hotel. Well, the business brain behind Classic FM was a certain Sir Peter Michael, and it was he who also set up the Donnington Valley Hotel near Newbury in Berkshire, which we recently visited.

It’s worth mentioning the link because the philosophy behind Classic FM and this spa and golf destination seems to be the same . . . both are about making the good things in life more accessible.

As soon as you walk through the doors of this modern hotel — which has recently undergone a multimillion-pound revamp, including a new leisure club and spa — you feel instantly at home.

There’s no standing on ceremony. In fact, you soon get used to meeting other guests in the corridors dressed only in their bath robes and slippers as they slip between spa and swimming pool.

I was down in Berkshire for a girls’ weekend with a friend who lives just down the road from Newbury.

But there are plenty of other worthwhile reasons for making the trip south. For a start, the Legoland theme park is just seven junctions down the M4.

Royal Windsor is also within easy reach, and historic Oxford is about half an hour’s drive north. And, if bargain hunting is your thing, then Bicester Village designer outlet harbours a host of designer names from Dior to DKNY.

But my friend and I were there neither for thrill-seeking, shopping or sightseeing. We were there to chill out and catch up, so we didn’t move from the hotel.

The facilities are very good, although it is not a spa destination in the sense that Seaham Hall in our part of the world has become. But then Donnington Valley does not pretend to be. It is more a hotel with spa attached.

For water babies, there’s a brand new 18m (60ft) swimming pool in which to loosen up, with relaxing loungers all around so you can catch up on the latest celeb gossip with your favourite magazine while sipping a smoothie from the leisure club bar.

It was great to unwind in the warm Jacuzzi, and steam room and sauna, while the weather outside was so inclement.

For gym babes there’s a state-of-the-art gymnasium. But for those, like me, who prefer an hour’s pampering to an hour’s Pilates, the spa’s the place.

Donnington Valley has 10 treatment suites and an astounding choice of therapies. My friend opted for the 55-minute holistic hot stone ritual, where a therapist uses warmed stones as part of an aromatic massage.

I enjoyed an hour-long pure aromatic facial with essential oils, which included a plant-based mask that leaves your skin soft and glowing.

Afterwards, you can settle down with a magazine in their beautiful, calming relaxation room or simply head back to your room for a nap before dinner.

Eating at Donnington Valley is a particular pleasure. Sir Peter Michael, also happens to own his own vineyard in Sonoma County, California and so they take their wine very seriously here, although again with a refreshing lack of pretension.

We were allocated a sommelier who guided us in our wine according to our menu choices, which was a real treat.

Chef, Kelvin Johnson, has created a menu offering a choice of both modern and traditional British dishes using locally sourced produce wherever possible.

If pan fried scallops with pancetta followed by fillet steak, tomato jelly, chanterelle mushrooms, leek, and parmesan potato cake sounds good, believe me, it was. My friend, who is vegetarian, was spoilt for choice too. She opted for cauliflower soup, stilton beignet followed by a mille feuille of avocado, chestnut, wild mushroom and garlic.

And the impressive Wine Press restaurant is decent value with their market menu costing £22 for two courses and £26 for three.

If golf is your thing then there’s a challenging 6353 yards to tackle. And while that may not be as long as some courses, a seasoned golfer tells me your course management needs to be at its best.

All-in-all we enjoyed a relaxing break at Donnington which would be a good choice for golfers or non-golfers; families or couples on their own.

VISIT historic Oxford’s dreaming spires.

GO bargain hunting at nearby Bicester. Village designer shopping outlet.

TAKE the kids to Legoland.

HAVE a look round Liz and Phil’s gaff (Windsor Castle).

GET pampered in the hotel’s spa.

PRICES start from as little as £99 for two sharing a classic double room during the week. To book call 01635-551199 or visit www.donningtonvalley.co.uk/

GUESTS can play on the Donnington Valley Golf Club course. To book a tee time on the 18-hole course, call the Pro Shop on 01635-568142.