Fawsley hall Hotel and Spa Daventry Northamptonshire

THE LOWDOWN

You don’t just rock up at Grade I listed Fawsley Hall, you arrive at this grand country house hotel via several miles of sheep-lined, single track roads surrounded by the estate’s 2,000 acres of idyllic, rolling Northamptonshire countryside. The gardens and parkland here were designed by Capability Brown in the 1760s and the house has played host to such luminaries as Queen Elizabeth I and yours truly. Yes, Mr Muddy and I spent our wedding night here waaay back (though not quite as far back as Queen Bess’s visit).

Since then, in 2013, Hand Picked Hotels acquired Fawsley as part of their luxurious portfolio and have injected a £4.5m in to the hotel, with £1.5m of that being used to renovate the spa and health club facilities, and it’s been specifically designed and styled to create an unfussy, boutique feel.

It’s chic and stately, whilst still managing to be welcoming and entirely unstuffy. The beautifully idiosyncratic ironstone Hall, which sits in below the ancient Badby Woods and overlooks a picturesque parish church, couldn’t really be anywhere other than Northamptonshire and makes a jaw-dropping setting, both for pottering about in the countryside and as the perfect backdrop for special occasions.

THE VIBE

Seamlessly mixing old and new, the thoughtfully styled rooms and picturesque views give Fawsley a uniqueness that’s hard to replicate, with accommodation across the main house, stables and Knightley Court, including sumptuous Tudor suites with four-poster beds, stone mullioned windows, roll top baths and splendiferous fireplaces. You can take tea or have pre-dinner drinks in the magnificent Tudor Great Hall or dine in the 2AA Rosette Cedar Restaurant.

The diversity of guests is testament to the perfectly pitched styling, with couples of every age as well as family groups all staying and dining, plus local members using the health club facilities.

THE SPA & TREATMENTS

The spa here really is the ultimate spot for some me-time, with indoor and outdoor pools, a Himalayan salt sauna, six treatment rooms and manicure and pedicure lounge, you can pop in for a quick treatment or spend the whole day getting pampered. Plus there’s a gym kitted out with cutting-edge equipment and open plan training areas.

I booked in for the deeply indulgent OTO Wellness Sleep Experience, which promises an escape from the daily grind and a retreat into tranquility. I honestly cannot imagine anything more perfect, as sleep is something increasingly elusive to me and yet it’s one of my favourite activities.

After donning my plush towelling robe and slippers in the sleek and spacious changing rooms, I’m met in the spa’s welcoming lounge area by my therapist Ella, who leads me off for my OTO CBD Sleep Soundly Massage Treatment. I can neither confirm nor deny that I woke myself up with a little snore during the massage, but I will say that it definitely had the desired effect and a came out feeling more relaxed than I have in a very long time.

Combining mandarin and ylang-ylang scents with CBD oil, the OTO Sleep Soundly whole-body massage is designed to reduce inflammation, whilst warmed Himalayan salt stones sooth the parasympathetic nervous system – responsible for recovery and stress reduction. The idea of the treatment is to maintain balance, rather than make you feel completely drowsy, but afterwards I couldn’t help but take my opportunity to indulge in some blissfully relaxing downtime on the loungers and enjoying the the fragrant saunas and outdoor hydropool with one of my girlfriends whilst sipping on re-hydrating fruit smoothies from the Spatisserie café.

Obviously I had really been looking forward to trying out the fancy gym equipment too, but was advised to take it easy for the rest of the day after my treatment, to keep my blood sugar and hormone levels nicely balanced and to allow me to enjoy the full effect of the treatment. Soo, lounging around it was.

SCOFF & QUAFF

After a glass or two of chilled Bruno Paillard Champagne as we changed out of our fluffy robes, it was off to the Cedar Restaurant for dinner and, despite it being a midweek stay, the restaurant was buzzing with diners, giving the cosy characterful rooms a warm and convivial atmosphere. Head Chef Joe Gould – whose CV boasts a host of impressive posts including Glenapp Castle Hotel in Ayrshire, Newick Park Country House Hotel, the three Rosette Bailiffscourt Hotel and Spa, the Michelin-starred Coworth Park Hotel, and Lainston House Hotel – has been in post here for a year, bringing a focus to seasonally inspired dishes with a menu featuring the likes of fresh sardines, lemon sole and samphire.

Confit Celeriac cedar restaurant Fawsley Hall

I started with the Confit Celeriac with truffle, celery, apple and rosemary (£13). The flavours were fresh and sparkling and it looked absolutely beautiful on the plate. My plus one chose the Pork Belly with carrot, scallop, crackling, maple and coriander (£21), which it’s fair to say was equally beautiful.

Pork Belly Cedar Restaurant Fawsley Hall

Mains were Lemon Sole with mussel ravioli, swede, mushroom and crab bisque (£34) – delicate and sumptuous flavours that I can still taste as I write this – and a Burrata with saffron quinoa, roquito pepper, avocado, kale and basil (£26.50).

One of the things I really appreciate about Joe’s menu is the very varied use of vegetables. I often find in fine dining restaurants that there is too much of a focus on the meat, whilst the vegetables are an afterthought, but not so here. Bonus points.

Desserts were a strawberry and meringue concoction (£11.50), kind of a very artistic and prettily deconstructed pavlova, though that really doesn’t do it justice, and a dark chocolate mousse with banana and a passionfruit ice cream (£11.95), both of which we happily shared.

Strawberry meringue dessert Cedar Restaurant Fawsley Hall

Fawsley Hall Cedar Restaurant Chocolate Mousse

Breakfast is also pretty special, with a continental buffet available as well as cooked dishes to order. I opted for the omega-rich smoked mackerel and scrambled eggs on toasted seeded bread and felt like I could take on the world.

Fawsley Hall breakfast mackerel scrambled eggs

STAY

Dame Ursuala room at Fawsley Hall hotel and spa, Daventry

Each room is unique at Fawsley, I stayed in the Dame Ursula room (named for Dame Ursula de Vere, a former resident of the house in the 16th century), which overlooks the front lawns, lake and the church with views across to the hall’s crenelated towers and, in the summer, dozens of house martins flitting about above the rooftops. It’s a gorgeously calm and spacious room with a comfy lounge area, cocktail trolley and a bathroom with a deep roll top bath and Noble Isle toiletries.

The view from Dame Ursula room Fawsley Hall Hotel

As part of my OTO Wellness Sleep Experience, I had a selection of OTO CBD products to use too, which included the Sleep Soundly Bath and Body Oil, Ultimate Balm and CBD Sleep Drops, all of which were given a liberal testing before I retired to my gorgeous super king size bed for what was honestly one of the best night’s sleep I’ve had in years. I mean, it could have been the fact that I had no kids, dog or husband to wake me up silly o’clock, but I’m definitely putting it down to the beautiful treatments and just overall relaxing day.

FAMILY FRIENDLY?

Fawsley Hall itself is super family friendly and there were a number of families with young children there during my stay, but the spa is for over 16s only, and there are some restrictions with timings on children using the swimming pool.

DOGS ALLOWED?

There are a limited number of dog-friendly rooms and dogs are welcome at an additional fee, there are spectacular walks from the hotel, so it’s a great place to visit with your furry friend.

ACCESSIBILITY

As a Tudor house, Fawsley wasn’t originally built with accessibility in mind, however, there are two accessible bedrooms as well as accessible parking and accessible access to facilities including parts of the spa and health club. There’s more comprehensive info here.

OUT & ABOUT

I’m not sure you’d ever want to leave this place but, if you can’t get enough of your Tudor history, be sure to get to nearby National Trust Canons Ashby. The Plough in Everdon is a fantastic local foodie pub and the Arc Cinema in Daventry is one of our favourites, with comfy reclining seats.

THE MUDDY VERDICT

Good for: A Girlie getaway with your bestie or a romantic retreat, a spa stay at Fawsley is the perfect way to relax and reset.

Not for: Big groups of mates might be a bit annoying for guests seeking solace, so perhaps look elsewhere if you want nightlife and late drinking.

The damage: The OTO Wellness Sleep Experience costs from £630 per person, so pretty high end, though rooms starts from £185 a night.

Fawsley Hall, Fawsley, Northamptonshire NN11 3BA

Review: Fawsley Hall Hotel and Spa, Daventry

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