Last week saw me crawling into bed in an exhausted heap.. I’d been racing all around the place – press shows, meetings.. and topped off with flying from Portobello to Palma and back in a day, I was ready to flop… so my weekend jaunt to The Runnymede-on-Thames Hotel and Spa could not have come at a better time.
The Runnymede is a 4 star hotel in Egham, Surrey, nestling on the banks of the River Thames.. We jumped on the train at Waterloo on Saturday morning, were in Egham 45 minutes later and the 5 minute (£6) taxi took us straight to the door.
Choccies in the room ;)
My Steamline Luggage suitcase on my very comfortable bed… (if you like the look of my case and fancy one yourself, just enter POPPY10 at checkout for 10% off!)
Gorgeous Espa toiletries in the bathroom
The view from our room…
The Runnymede sits along the Thames and you can hire its very own river boat…
The hotel’s Hottug is a wood fired boat/hot-tub, which keeps the water a balmy 38°C, and has a silent electric engine to send up to six soakers merrily downstream…
We were whisked straight up to our room and as the door closed behind us, I felt the zoom and whoosh of last week finally leave me and my brain and body started to relax. We unpacked, donned the gorgeously soft robes found hanging in the bathroom and padded down to the spa. No messing around for us. Not when there is a hot tub waiting for me.
I was all booked in for an Espa aromatic full body massage in the spa on Sunday morning, (WHICH WAS UTTERLY HEAVENLY) so Saturday was a day of swimming, reading, lounging, drinking (water…) and we spent the afternoon dipping in and out of the hot tub, pool, sauna and steam room…and repeat… a little like being on a circuit course. But SO much nicer.
Soft cotton robes… I didn’t take mine off…
“The espa aromatic full body massage uses one of six blended warm aromatherapy ESPA oils, this de-stressing treatment relieves tension and massages tired muscles…”
We were so relaxed, I dropped off for a bit. I think I snored. But I didn’t dribble. (Points.) When we felt a little peckish, we popped out (IN OUR ROBES) to The Garden Room, where we sank into the sofas, drank oodles of hot chocolate, chomped on fresh fruit and ordered tuna melted toasties. (We were not on a health drive.) (Anyway, we had fruit.) (Whatever.)
“Our state of the art gymnasium features Technogym equipment, so you can watch and listen to any TV or radio channel while you work out.”
Then it was straight back to lounge on our loungers by the pool… heaven. The spa at Runnnymede-on-Thames is fully equipped with an 18m indoor pool, a sauna, (plus a sauna, a massage chair and plunge pool in each of the changing rooms) a eucalyptus steam room and a whirlpool bath. There is also a studio for dance/yoga/pilates etc classes and a gym as well as all the wonderful treatments available… I nipped out for a bit of a wander and also discovered their enormous outdoor pool and tennis courts..
The outdoor pool… (closed for the Winter months – bit chilly!)
There are three newly refurbished tennis courts (two astro-turf and a multisport court)
The orchard…
The Runnymede bees make honey for the residents! I had some at breakfast the next day…
After our lovely lazy day, we headed upstairs to our room, showered, changed and headed down to the Leftbank Restaurant, where we enjoyed the most fantastic buffet dinner. Buffets, as you know, can be very hit and miss… but this was the buffet to end all buffets. You name it, they (probably) had it. And it was all delicious. I think I had 6 courses. I think LM had 27.
The Leftbank Restaurant
Breakfast was a similar affair, except with LOTS of sausages, eggs and bacon… I just cannot resist an English breakfast… but I also couldn’t resist the honey, which I knew had been made by the Runnymede bees themselves…
Honey, fresh from the Runnymede bees..
After my wonderful massage, (again, I may have fallen asleep what with the gorgeous aromas, dim lights, heated bed and music…oh and amazing massage) I met LM poolside. We read. We chatted. We swam. We plotted to never leave. But then we had to. Our delicious spa weekend had come to an end and there was nothing we could do about it. We jumped into a taxi, whizzed down the road to Egham station and were back at London Waterloo before we knew what had happened. Oh, but it was dreamy. *Sigh*
The Runnymede-on-Thames Windsor Road Egham, Surrey TW20 0AG Poppy and LM were guests of The Runnymede
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This looks absolutely amazing! I’m really impressed with the Buffet it looks so fresh & rustic in comparison to the usual buffets we see. I really want to go for a spa weekend and this looks ideal!
Oh do let me know if you go Daisy – I’m sure you’ll have a wonderful time! x
Mmmmh…..thinking about that massage and that pool, the sauna…zzzzzz….zzz..! I almost felt my body relaxed just reading about this all!!! :D
Me too Claudia… I want to go backkkkzzzzzz x
This looks lovely, I feel more relaxed even just reading the post and looking at the photos! I’ve been on the lookout for spa places I can go to that don’t require me to have a car to drive to the middle of nowhere and this sounds ideal.
Jennifer x
Ginevrell | Lifestyle Blog
It really was easy Jennifer – so simple to get to and very fast from London – there is a taxi rank just outside the station as well, so no planning required ;) x
This post couldn’t have come at a better time! My husband and I are organising a spa break for our anniversary and we’ve been looking at that exact one, wondering whether it was wonderful or not! Your review is great – so thorough!
Owl Girl | A London lifestyle blog
Oh thank you Candy! So pleased it was helpful. If you have any other questions before you choose to go, just get in touch. I would just say to avoid half term as the kiddies can make a bit of a racket and do take over the pool a bit!
Hi, the spa looks amazing! Got to try it out next time I’m in the UK.
By the way, how’s the durability on those steamline luggages? I’ve been wanting one, but hesitant because I don’t know what the make is.
Hi Herm, the spa was really lovely – definitely take a trip there when you’re next in the country! (Where do you live?) I have used my Steamline case several times now on various trips and so far, no complaints! It is a little heavier than my other case, but not uncomfortably so. I have also been stopped in the street a few times too as it’s so pretty! If you do decide to buy one don’t forget to use my code POPPY10 to get 10% off! x