The Grove - very grand and very groovy

A luxurious hotel with a spa that's an adventure in luxury. By Carol Muskoron

 

Main photo Jon Fassbender 

 

Spending one night at The Grove and you'll feel like you've been away for a good two weeks. Seriously. It is so luxurious, so different, so much fun and so relaxing that... that... that the England football team go there before a match to unwind. Yes, upon arrival, there it was in the car park, the England FC coach. The team had hired an entire wing of the hotel to chill out in before there friendly game with someone or other. They could not have chosen a better venue, and nor could I, as I was about to discover.

 

We were staying in the mansion house part of the hotel and when we stepped out of the lift to go to our room we found ourselves surrounded by walls draped in a deep purple curtains from floor to ceiling. Dotted along the way were funky down-lighters. Once inside the room we were utterly wowed - the mansion room was decked out in top notch designer modern furniture, there was a huge TV screen above the fireplace and the bathroom boasted a beautiful white modern stand-alone bath and White Company toiletries (nice touch).

 

I was booked in for an age-defying facial that afternoon and, reluctant to leave my room though I was, I did eventually do so. I made my through the grounds (passed the incredibly beautiful modern fountains sculptures and including some intriguing giant walnuts, among other things) and very easily found the grand yet somewhat understated entrance to The Sequoia Spa.

 

It's the attention to detail in the spa that's so impressive. The relaxation room had heated beds, herbal teas and dried fruit. The pool was tiled with black mosaic tiles, so that you felt like you were dipping your foot into an inky infinity. There was a fabulously ferocious vitality pool, a state of the art gym for anyone so inclined (I wasn't). And the facial? It was so relaxing that I actually fell asleep.

 

I appeared with glowing skin (and no make-up) that night at Colette's The Grove's three rosette award winning hotel. There are other restaurants but I wanted to try the one that they consider to be their very best. The aim of the place, under Chef Chris Warwick (read our interview with Chris here) is to serve modern cooking with a classic twist. The place had an intimate air about it - there were only about eight tables, the staff were incredibly helpful - happy to answer any questions and to help you choose wine), and the food was trendy but hearty (yes, it was all on white plates, but unlike a lot of award-winning restaurants, it was not purely show-off food, it was also delicious (click here to read our restaurant review).

 

The next morning, after a lavish buffet breakfast, we took bikes out (free for guests) and followed the suggested route down by the Grand Union Canal. Life down by the canal is utterly idyllic - it is just so peaceful.

 

We arrived back just in time for a bowl of homemade soup at The Stables restaurant (yummy) and then made our way to the Walled Garden, which I though merely housed a few vegetables. What I was confronted with was a fake beach, complete with wigwam, a giant chess set, an outdoor heated swimming pool and yes, a vegetable garden that's used by The Grove restaurants.

 

I couldn't resist the pool - in my (luckily) respectable underwear I dived in and it was just glorious. Heated perfectly so that it there was not a moment's discomfort. There was also a poolside bar. Bliss.

 

The Grove is an adventure in pure luxury that is well worth experiencing.

Click here to find out more about The Grove, Hertfordshire

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