Escaping to the country

Apr 12 2009 Sunday Sun

ZOE BURN travels to Cheshire to lap up some luxury and spa treatments

WHAT do you get if you cross a magnificent country mansion, world-class golfing facilities and a luxurious spa?

The answer is Carden Park, a huge country hotel set in 750 acres of land deep in the heart of Cheshire’s countryside.

Part of the De Vere chain, Carden Park boasts impressive facilities including two championship golf courses, golf school and a fantastic spa and fitness suite, where the emphasis is very much on relaxing in style.

My fiance Mic and I took a well-deserved weekend break at the Cheshire mansion.

Neither of us play golf, so our visit was purely to sample the spa and some of the chef’s irresistible food, created from local produce.

Arriving shortly after 9pm, we were impressed at the hotel’s ornate lobby, although it was spoiled somewhat by more than a dozen young children who had spilled out from a wedding in one of the suites and were tearing up and down, playing with toy cars and screaming at the top of their lungs.

It’s not that we have a problem with children, but dragging suitcases to reception while avoiding speeding children and trying not to break our necks on car obstacles is perhaps not the welcome we expected in such a lavish hotel.

The rude awakening was soon forgotten, however, when we checked in and were personally greeted by a friendly duty manager, who showed us to our room and told us he was on-hand all weekend should we have any problems.

As it was getting late, coupled with the fact there was nowhere else for miles around to eat, we ordered room service.

My fish pie with fresh vegetables was to die for, but Mic was a little disappointed that the chunky chips – one of the hotel’s hero food items – which accompanied his burger had not survived the transit and were cold.

We slept soundly in our king-size bed. Ours was a standard double room and was large and spacious, with a fridge and flatscreen TV.

All very nice, except it was a bit chilly, and unlike most modern hotels of this size, there was no air conditioning and we had to wait for what seemed like a few hours for an old radiator to heat up.

Next morning, tummies rumbling, we headed down for breakfast, but were a little upset when the doorman rather accusingly asked us if we’d already eaten, as “your room has already been crossed off”.

After a few moments spent convincing him that we weren’t just greedy and were totally innocent, we were ushered to a table, but not without noticing the fuss the same man made of a group of older ladies behind us, asking them how they were, where would they like to sit and could he get them anything, while we stood around growing more and more uncomfortable.