I’m getting married in September, so pre-wedding, my Mum and I wanted to go for a nice, relaxing Spa weekend. Bamford Haybarn Spa features heavily in the ‘best spa guides’ floating around on the internet. So, after much deliberation, we decided the idyllic setting of the Cotswolds would be the perfect base for our getaway.
Arriving In The Cotswolds
We booked our spa day on a Saturday, starting at 1.30pm. We drove from Kent, which took us a little over 2 hours. On arrival, we had some time to spare so we explored Daylesford Farm in a bit more detail.
Anyone who enjoys healthy eating and wellness would’ve heard of Daylesford Farm. As well as the farm itself, the brand has shops around London and is also sold in Waitrose. It’s based in Kingham, Gloucestershire, and as you walk towards the back of the sprawling complex, you’ll find Bamford Haybarn Spa nestled.
My Mum and I opted for the Haybarn Destress Package, £100.00 per person. For that, you can choose between a destress massage or a destress facial. This also includes lunch at one of the two restaurants within Daylesford Farm.
The food was delicious. Within the price, we had one drink and one main course each, but we decided to have a cocktail each and a dessert, too. We ate in the main restaurant, which I believe is called the The Trough. The other restaurant serves primarily pizza and is called The Old Spot Restaurant. We went during the heatwave, so picked this one based solely on the outside area!
The Spa
I’ve never been to a spa like Bamford Haybarn before. Usually, I visit hotels that have spas attached to them. This spa is tucked away right at the back of Daylesford Farm and it’s completely detached from the hustle and bustle of the farm. It does get quite busy on a Saturday.
When we arrived we were taken through to this airy, spacious area at the back of the spa. We filled in the usual spa questionnaire here and had a shot of a cleansing juice. Due to the very hot weather, it was too hot everywhere (we’re just not prepared for that heat), so the fans weren’t quite cutting it, but I imagine it’s so relaxing on a slightly cooler day!
As you can see, all around the edges of the windows, there were beds that look out to sprawling views. Once your treatment is finished, you can spend as long as you wish relaxing in this area before leaving.
After a short wait, we were taken to our respective rooms. I opted for a massage and my Mum for a facial. We were asked to fill in a form to say how we’d like our treatments and what areas we’d like to focus on. I opted for a hard massage focussed on my back and shoulders. In hindsight, hard was perhaps a little much for me, so I asked my therapist to lighten it a little bit, which she happily did.
My Treatment
My treatment started with a quick foot bath. I had a robe on whilst this took place, but then I didn’t put the robe back on again. I think it would be a nice touch to let guests wander around in their robes until their ready to leave, as I had to put my clothes on straight after my treatment.
Here’s a little look at my treatment room. It was so relaxing. I think the white palette and the light wood touches that could be found throughout the spa gave it a really uniquely relaxing feel. The therapist asked me what smell I levitated towards before my massage and had three oils to choose from.
On my way out, I had a quick look at the yoga space and the manicure and pedicure areas. Again, the same airy, mindful theme could be seen throughout.
My Mum, who is perhaps one of the most fussy spa customers, said it was the best facial she has ever had. She really bonded with her therapist who talked about my Mum’s stress points and even went into details about ways to relieve stress and anxiety. Once finished, she gave my Mum a book on healing crystals and continued to talk to her long after her treatment had finished. I think that’s really the mark of a good therapist. It’s no easy feat to impress my Mum!
The Shops
Daylesford Farm doesn’t just consist of a huge (the best I’ve been to) farm shop, it also has a number of little shops in the grounds. We had a wander. To be honest, it’s all very overpriced, but this does tend to happen in places like this. It had everything from furniture to beauty. Naturally, I was in window shopping heaven!
Our overall experience of Daylesford Farm was really great. I already want to go back. I did buy some food and drink from the farm shop. The only thing I have left is the ketchup, but I really did enjoy it all. There’s something about food from farm shops that is just a cut above the rest.
The Wild Rabbit Inn
We stayed just down the road from Daylesford Farm in a place called The Wild Rabbit Inn. Again, I wasn’t going in entirely blind, I did my research and I knew this particular ‘inn’ was a little bit more than a pub B&B!
It was stunning. We opted for a room in the courtyard at the back of the pub and restaurant. Again, it was extremely hot, but they were prepared with Dyson Airblades in each room. It didn’t create the same effect as air con, but it was nice enough. Like I said about the Spa, you can’t blame anybody for not being ready for that level of heat. We’re in England after all!
I emailed beforehand to ensure we had twin beds, which were already arranged on arrival. The room also came with tea making facilities and some wonderful homemade chocolate chip cookies and shortbread. They were quickly devoured!
One of my highlights was the bathroom. I love a good bathroom and the way they’d kept this so in keeping to the types of brickwork we’d seen throughout the Cotswolds was a really nice touch.
In the Hotel’s in-room directory, it mapped out a couple of walks around the local area for people to do. My Mum and I decided to map our own route based on this. We left The Wild Rabbit and took a right up towards the church. We walked back past The Wild Rabbit and then down to a playing field nearby and sat and relaxed on a bench there for a bit. It was nice to be outside in the quiet and just have a little look around the village.
Evening Meal
In the evening we had a lovely meal in The Wild Rabbit. We did book to eat in the main restaurant, but it was too warm so we decided to eat from the bar menu and sit outside. It was a lovely evening with some perfect cocktails. We finished off the evening by watching Love Island in ITV2+1. If that isn’t the perfect end to the perfect weekend, I don’t know what is!
