In April 2018, Mcr-Tina said:
My friend and I arrived for our midweek spa break unsure what to expect - It was our first ever spa break so we had nothing to compare it to. When we checked in, we found we’d been given the complimentary room upgrade promised when you book direct. We were directed to our executive room once the reception staff had explained the spa, confirmed our treatment times & made our dinner reservations for the hotel restaurant (included in our break).
Next, we set off to our room. The hotel is a series of 17th ventury refurbished buildings, so we did have to go outside briefly to get to our room - this wasn’t an issue though and the grounds and paths were amazingly well maintained.
Once in our room, we were very happy with what we found. Both beds were super comfy, there was plenty of wardrobe (and floor) space, it was decorated to a high standard and the bathroom had a bath and shower, so we were both happy!
We weren’t sure whether we had to go to the spa in our clothes and change there, or go down in swimwear & dressing gowns but decided on the latter to save time. Upon arriving, we were advised there were lockers which required a refundable £1 coin to lock. You can get towels from the desk at the spa too, so you don’t need to use your room’s towels. (I'd recommend changing down there if I were you).
The Spa changing room was clean and well equipped. The main pool was lovely too. Once into the spa, Last Drop Village went from a good hotel to actual heaven. The hydrotherapy pool was hot tub temperature - easily 38-40 degrees. There were intermittent jets and a waterfall too. In the inside section, you could sit down on standard L shaped seats and have your back blasted by the jets, or opt for jet-free contoured seats in a more reclined position in the outdoor infinity side of the pool. (See - I told you it was heaven)! There were more L shaped Jet covered seats outside too. The outdoor section had a roof and walls to 3 sides, but the 4th side was open, which allowed views over the local countryside and the hotel grounds.
The spa area had 6 therapy rooms you could use any time - 2 types of sauna, one steam room, one aromatherapy steam room and two others which were cooler, but I can't recall their names. The aromatherapy steam room was our favourite - it was pumping out a mild eucalyptus in the steam and really cleared your airways and mind.
There’s a water fountain within the spa area, or you can go upstairs to the chillout zone and enjoy free water, orange juice or hot drinks. Our spa treatments were booked for 4.30pm. We were greeted in the chillout zone by our therapists and both treated to an amazing facial each. My therapist listened to my skin issues and chose the best suited products for my dry, sensitive skin. It was bliss!
Once we’d showered and got ready to eat, we headed down to the restaurant a little early, so we went to the bar. The staff were super friendly and brought our drinks over to us along with the bill for them - prices were on par with Manchester City Centre restaurants.
Our meals were fantastic - I’m vegetarian, and as well as the two veggie main course options on the standard menu, I was given the vegan menu to see. (Pictures below). The bar and restaurant staff couldn’t do enough for us. We didn't feel rushed at all, and waiting times were around 10 minutes for our starter, then around 5 minutes after our bowls were cleared away, our main course arrived. 5 minutes after our dessert orders were taken, our choices arrived, and were delicious! We paid for our drinks at the end of our meal, and didn't have to get up to order refills as we ate, thanks to the attentive service staff.
We went up to our room at this point and had an amazing night's sleep. We woke feeling super refreshed and headed down for breakfast, planning on just having toast so we could head back into the spa afterwards before checking out.
One look at the continental breakfast and self serve buffet, and we both knew we were eating more than we'd planned! My friend opted for a full English, while I had a bowl of fruit with natural yogurt, a slice of toast and some mini pastries - delicious! There's also a menu you can order your breakfast from, if you prefer.
We headed to reception after eating to check when we could use the spa until.... We were advised we had to check out of our room at 11am but were free to use the facilities all day. We packed our bags, loaded them into the car and then went to check out (at 9am). We then went back down to the spa with just our swimming things and enjoyed the spa facilities all morning, before heading out to explore the shops within the village.
Roly the Bulldog made my day, sat outside the boutique watching everyone milling around - he was such a good boy! We had an ice cream and a pot of tea in the Tea Room before finally saying goodbye to Last Drop - for now at least!
Sorry for waffling on in this review - Congratulations if you made it this far! I'm sure you've already guessed I'd highly recommend visiting Last Drop - I'm already planning a spa day for hubby and I's wedding anniversary in June, as well as a girls spa break for myself and some of my mum friends.
Source: tripadvisor.co.uk