I'M DREAMING OF THE RIGHT CHRISTMAS.
DOES THE PROSPECT OF ANOTHER CHRISTMAS AT HOME FILL YOU WITH GLOOM AT THE THOUGHT OF CONFRONTING ENDLESS COOKING PREPARATIONS AND MARATHON WASHING-UP SESSIONS? VPOWERFUL HAS SOME IDEAS FOR GETTING YOU AWAY FROM THE KITCHEN SINK - WITH A VARIETY OF TEMPTING SHORT BREAKS THAT SHOULD ENABLE YOU TO ENJOY THE FESTIVE SEASON TO THE FULL.
Words by Kieron D Fennelly
Pictures by Getty Images
SPREAD EAGLE HOTEL, MIDHURST
RICH CHRISTMAS FARE IN DEEPEST SUSSEX
What could be better than a thoroughly traditional Christmas – built around a few days of pampering in a richly luxurious setting?
Well, the Spread Eagle Hotel in Sussex hosts one way to spend a Christmas that you won’t forget in a hurry. Arrive on Christmas Eve and settle into your handsomely appointed room, then enjoy a champagne reception and the entertainment of a group of carol singers before settling down to enjoy the Spread Eagle’s award-winning cuisine.
There is a spa, hot tub, 15-metre pool and gym, or for something a little less energetic – qualified therapists are on hand to massage away any last remnants of your pre-Christmas stress. Midhurst, too, is a fine old town and offers pleasant Boxing Day strolls or rambles on the Sussex Downs for the more ambitious. Whatever you do, be ready at 7pm for the Spread Eagle’s Boxing Day Ball – which, after drinks and a further round of gourmet cuisine, features a magician, and the chance to dance to a variety of music that should appeal to all tastes. To book or find out more click here or call 01730 816911
Christmas: minimum stay 3 nights, full board from £495pp
BATH PRIORY
CELEBRATE UNDER THE ROMAN PLEASURE DOME
With such a history of gentle indulgence, there can be few better cities in which to treat yourself to a truly luxurious Christmas.
The exceptional Bath Priory hotel offers a Christmas programme that’s as imaginative as it is traditional. With transport arranged for midnight mass with Carol singers at Bath Abbey on Christmas Eve, a dramatised reading in the drawing room on Christmas Day, and outings by horse and carriage. How could you resist a place where the guest rooms have names like Poppy, Peony or Apple Blossom? This West Country Christmas could be one you’ll remember forever. To book or find out more click here or call 01225 331922
Christmas: minimum stay 4 nights, full board from £1010pp