Grayshott Spa Revisited

I last visited Grayshott Spa in Hindhead, Surrey, eight years ago when it was called Grayshott Hall and under different ownership.

In those days I was single and used to have regular 3 and 4 night breaks at spa retreats. My favourite was Grayshott because although pricey, it was less commercialised than others like Ragdale Hall and Forest Mere, and the emphasis is truly holistic - health, relaxation and beauty.

I feared the worst though when I heard it was under new ownership and taking day visitors. That used to be one area where it was different, along with everyone having a heat treatment and 40 minute massage after breakfast, included in the tariff.

The free massage has gone, sadly, and the pianist who played before dinner; but there have been several improvements. There is now an outdoor heated pool, a cinema has replaced the smoking room and a drinks bar the billiards room. The rooms have been upgraded: they were well below par eight years ago.

What makes Grayshott superb is its staff - many of whom have been there for years; the quality of its treatments and the beautiful grounds. The food too is superb, although there doesn't seem to be a differentiation now between normal healthy eating and trying to lose weight. There seemed to be a detox programme going on in the conservatory restaurant, which was closed, but apart from that, everyone ate the same food in the dining room. It was very good quality but I doubt if it was substantial enough for men who don't want to lose weight. There was no bread for example and hardly any potatoes at dinner.

There are areas that can be improved. The web site is what I call a "faux" website. You register and give the dates when you want to stay, but then someone rings you back. And when she did, she had taken an old address from the database for me instead of the one I had just entered on the web. Frankly, if you can't check room availability live online, and then book it and pay for it in a secure online transaction, don't bother with a website. I much prefer to make bookings online because when you're in an open plan office you really don't want colleagues knowing you're off to a spa and booking a facial or lymphatic drainage.

Other areas for improvement include the exercise schedule. It was very light. You have to pay extra to do Pilates or yoga, and apart from that there is hardly anything else except for aqua aerobics twice daily. The Pilates teacher is excellent though, and class size is restricted to six.

I would have liked more choice too in the treatments offered. The only facials were from Guinot but they used to have Clarins and Decleor too. There were no cosmetics on sale, although I quite fancied treating myself to a lipstick.

But overall it was a relaxing and pleasant experience, and I will definitely go back again. I won't leave it eight years next time!