If you’re looking for a luxury spa break in Cheshire, Carden Park is certainly somewhere to have on your radar. Set amongst beautiful Cheshire countryside, this luxury hotel and spa combines peaceful surroundings, fantastic food and one of the best spa experiences I’ve ever had.
We recently stayed at Carden Park for our joint 40th birthdays, and the night away had been bought for us as a gift from our family. After a slight hiccup with our original booking, it turned into a fabulous weekend and somewhere we would definitely love to return to and would highly recommend to others.
Our Carden Park Spa Break
Our Carden Park stay was originally booked for April, but unfortunately, due to maintenance work at the hotel, they had to cancel our booking two days before we were due to arrive.
Naturally, we were very disappointed, particularly as the original dates coincided with our wedding anniversary. However, I have to say the customer service we received was fantastic.
Carden Park offered us a few upgrades to make up for the cancellation and allowed us to rebook the same April package for August at no additional cost. Although we were sad not to go when originally planned, they handled the situation really well and definitely made it up to us.
As it turned out, visiting Carden Park in August had one major advantage, glorious weather!
Arriving at Carden Park Spa
When we arrived, we headed straight to the spa for our treatment, which was incredible. Part of the apology upgrade meant instead of a 45 minute treatment we got an hour and 15 minute treatment so we both chose the Ultimate relax and rebalance treatment. This included:
- Warming foot bowl,
- Deep inhalations and balancing pinda ritual
- Warm oil and hot stones applied to tight muscles
- Stimulating and stress relieving facial
- Soothing scalp massage using baobab oil.
It was absolute bliss.
We had our treatment in a double room, which was lovely, and the staff were friendly and attentive, making the whole experience feel really special. It was the perfect way to begin our spa break.
After our treatment, we had four hours to enjoy the spa facilities and this was where Carden Park really impressed us.
Is Carden Park Spa Worth It?
In my opinion, absolutely.
I can honestly say that Carden Park is the best spa I have visited so far. We were incredibly lucky with the weather and had a beautiful sunny August day, so naturally we made the most of the outdoor facilities in the Spa Garden which includes
- Panoramic herbal garden lounge
- Fire Pit
- Outdoor hot tubs
- Thermal Garden pods
- Outdoor vitality Pool
- Bollinger garden bar.
We spent much of our time relaxing in the outdoor hot tubs with a glass (or two) of Prosecco, soaking up the sunshine and enjoying the gorgeous Cheshire countryside around us. It was absolute heaven and exactly what you want from a luxury spa break.
We did eventually manage to drag ourselves away from the hot tubs to explore the indoor thermal journey which includes
- Indoor vitality pool
- Heated relaxation beds
- Finnish sauna
- Bio sauna
- Experience showers
- Tepidarium
- Salt steam room
- Aroma steam room
My favourite was the sauna with its beautiful views across the grounds.
There is so much to experience that our four hours seemed to fly by.
Staying at Carden Park Hotel
After our afternoon at the spa, we headed over to the hotel to check in which as most of it was done online before we arrived was a very quick and pleasant process.
Our room was lovely and spacious, with a comfortable double bed, coffee machine and beautiful views across the Carden Park grounds and golf course. Plus a nice bathroom with both a bath and a shower.
One of the things we loved most about Carden Park was the setting. Despite not being too far from the city, once you arrive it feels as though you’re in the middle of nowhere.
It is incredibly peaceful. You can’t hear anything from the surrounding areas and, wherever you look, you’re greeted by views of the hotel grounds and Cheshire countryside, with perhaps the odd house far off in the distance.
It really does feel like an escape from everyday life.
Dinner at Carden Park
That evening, we ate in the hotel restaurant, where the food was delicious. I chose the couscous and my husband had the beef neither of us could fault the food at all.
After spending most of the day relaxing in the spa, it was lovely to be able to get ready and head downstairs for dinner without having to leave the hotel.
Breakfast at Carden Park Hotel
The following morning, we headed down for breakfast, which was served buffet style and the selection was incredible.
There was pretty much everything you could possibly want, including overnight oats, cereals, fresh fruit, yoghurt, toast, pancakes, cheeses, hams and smoked salmon, alongside a huge range of cooked breakfast items.
Whether you prefer something light or a full cooked breakfast, there was plenty to choose from.
It definitely sets you up for the day, particularly if you’re heading out onto Carden Park’s golf course to play 18 holes!
For us, though, there was no golf. We had something much more relaxing planned.
A Second Day at Carden Park Spa
We were lucky enough to have another day in the spa thanks to the apology upgrade, and this time we split our time between the thermal journey and the outdoor pool.
I was so grateful that we’d been given the additional spa time as part of our rearranged stay because it was exactly what we needed.
The whole spa feels incredibly peaceful and luxurious, and having that second day meant we could take our time rather than feeling as though we needed to rush around and experience everything at once.
It was the perfect way to finish our stay before heading home.
Is Carden Park Child-Friendly?
Although Carden Park Spa itself is adults only, the hotel is child-friendly, so families don’t necessarily have to rule it out.
There are separate leisure facilities at the hotel, including a family-friendly swimming pool, as well as activities for children such as a
- zip wire
- free fall pillow
- climbingwall
- archery
- mini quads
- air riffles
- segway
- laser shooting
- and axe throwing.
We also spotted some giant outside games and a sign for a children’s movie night so whilst I would definitely recommend Carden Park for a romantic couples’ spa break or special occasion, there are also facilities available for families too, which I hope to look into at some point with the view of taking our kids with us.
Is Carden Park Worth the Money?
There is no getting away from the fact that Carden Park is on the expensive side. However, in this case, I genuinely think you get what you pay for.
The spa is without doubt the nicest I have visited so far, the surroundings are beautiful, our room was spacious and comfortable, the food was delicious and the staff we encountered were lovely.
The way the hotel handled the cancellation of our original booking also left a really positive impression. Things don’t always go according to plan when travelling, so good customer service when something goes wrong can make a huge difference.
Carden Park Review: Our Final Thoughts
Overall, our stay at Carden Park Hotel & Spa was incredible.
What started with the disappointment of having our original anniversary trip cancelled ended up becoming a fabulous 40th birthday weekend in the Cheshire countryside.
For me, the highlight has to be the spa. From sitting in an outdoor hot tub with a glass of Prosecco in the sunshine to working our way around the thermal experiences, it felt like a proper luxury escape.
If you’re searching for a luxury spa hotel in Cheshire, planning a romantic spa break or looking for somewhere special to celebrate a birthday or anniversary, Carden Park is definitely worth considering.
We had a fantastic stay and will hopefully be back, although next time I think we’ll need even longer in the spa!
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