Coworth Park Hotel, Ascot

This is purely a review of the spa at Coworth Park, which I can't recommend highly enough. Over the years, I have visited other Spa's in the area and been a member of two of them, in hotels not that far away... and none come anywhere close.   Although we have a home in Ascot we have stayed at Coworth Park for special occasions since it opened. We have also enjoyed dining at Coworth Park's restaurants for many years and have always enjoyed The Terrace, The Barn and especially Woven which is way superior on every level to a number of other 2 Michelin star restaurants, including one particular 2 Michelin star restaurant just a 25minute drive from Coworth which I reviewed some years ago and would never return to. I'm amazed Woven has yet to be awarded a well-deserved 2nd Michelin star...   The Spa at Coworth was refurbished last year with added facilities, to a level of perfection unheard of locally in any of the other spa hotels in Sunningdale, Ascot, Bracknell and elsewhere or within a reasonable drive.   All of the team at The Spa are exceptional and the the gym, the pool, changing rooms and all of the other facilities are maintained to perfection at all times.   I used to be a member of the spa at a nearby hotel where the England Rugby Team practised regularly and I walked out, wasting the balance of my membership due to the poor standards of maintenance/facilities broken lockers etc. Years before that I gave up my membership at another, substantial Sunningdale hotel spa, due to their poor standards and rude staff. I decided to give up joining a local spa and I just use spas in top luxury hotels around the world when travelling, which I do at least once every month.    I had heard the most tremendous word-of-mouth praise since Coworth reopened their refurbished Spa last year. Since joining earlier this year, I now try to visit at least twice every week when I am in the UK, there are never many people there at the same time, although I don't go weekends, so I don't know about that. Other spa users are always polite, private and considerate. This is the Spa that attracts ladies and gentlemen with high standards and taste who appreciate quality and detail. Maintenance is absolutely first class, Dorchester collection level. Standards could not be higher.    No used towels left lying in the pool area and changing rooms…they disappear within moments, there are so many staff. No maintenance is required... everything is perfect, every last detail thought out. The changing rooms are excellent, everything you may need is provided. The lockers are large and there are always two coat-hangers, a towel, a robe and disposable flip-flop in each, unlike in other spas, where I have found hygiene unsatisfactory, lockers broken, security poor and having to search for clean towels and coat-hangers. That is the reality of other spas that I have actually experienced locally.   The pool temperature is perfect, the atmosphere refreshing, the Coworth signature shampoos/shower gel/conditioner (same as provided in the hotel’s suites) and other products are all lovely. The showers are as strong as you want them to be, they deliver the pressure both overhead and hand-held with clean shower mats on tap. Treatment rooms are lovely, therapists are excellent. The spa café is always available. Everything is high quality, including the towels, which, along with anything else you may need are present in abundance.   I love the exercise machines and weights in the gym, which are all the latest state of the art and a pleasure to use. On the treadmills I especially enjoy choosing a coastal town in Italy on the screen to cycle around for half an hour or so. After exercising, I usually help myself to an apple and occasionally a banana and a bottle of water in the take-away reusable metal containers, available in the gym and in the changing rooms. The natural water sourced from a spring in the UK is as good as any premium/expensive bottled water. This is not filtered tap-water, it is the real thing and is excellent.    It is a pleasure simply driving to the Spa as it involves a circuit of Coworth's beautiful grounds, where there are always horses to be seen and occasionally ponies. Like the spa, the grounds are all immaculate and a joy to drive through. You can play tennis, enjoy F and B throughout the estate, watch a polo match or simply stroll the grounds.    Everything about Coworth Park is as good as it gets. This has a lot to do with the dedicated and highly talented management led by Zoe Jenkins who has been motivating and inspiring everyone at Coworth since it opened. I often chat to staff and no matter what job they do, they are impressive, talented and more often than not have university degrees, or qualifications from top hospitality colleges and are clearly on a trajectory leading eventually to senior hospitality management. Anyone with Coworth Park on their CV clearly knows what they aiming for and have clearly defined career objectives.    Spa Director Charlotte Parsons is doing a wonderful job…as are all of her team. It is worth staying at Coworth Park, whatever the season just to visit the Spa... which is the icing on a wonderful cake.   I was in very early one morning,  probably the first there and so I took the opportunity to take the photographs I am attaching. Do take a look at them all, as they really do Illustrate my review. Coworth Park spa is exclusive and is so very good that it represents excellent value and memberships come with many bonuses including but not limited to discounts which I always forget to claim, I've recently racked up sizable restaurant bills in both The Terrace and The Barn and forgot to claim my 10% discount! Spa Membership includes guest passes, a massage or other treatment on joining, the same again as a birthday gift... however what I valued the most is the sheer quality of everything. I particularly enjoy the choice of teas and nibbles in the relaxation lounge.  When my family and I have stayed at the hotel on occasion since it opened, we have visited the spa and enjoyed it but since refurbishment we simply had to join. They have added the most wonderful facilities within the swimming pool area, including a large and effective steam room, an exceptional cold room and a great sauna. I like to go for a swim, then walk over to use all three facilities while looking out at the pool and beyond to the grounds and then on a sunny day go out onto the terrace and relax on a Sun-lounger before returning for another swim. Joining also includes a session with a professional trainer who explains how to use all of the equipment. Just walking into the Spa is always a pleasure as the receptionists could hardly be more helpful or welcoming.  Many years ago while I was staying at another Dorchester collection property, the Beverly Hills Hotel, one of the managers told me that she was about to travel to Ascot to work on the development and opening of their first country hotel. My cup of joy overflowed at the news that Dorchester collection were opening up in my local town. Nothing approaches Dorchester collection standards anywhere else in the area.  One final comment on the changing rooms... there are complementary combs, shavers, large towels, well equipped lockers serviced regularly, supplies of their superb bottled water, well curated background music, various products however, what impresses me most is the deodorant supplied. In just about every spa I have ever visited, aerosol's provided for deodorant purposes have powerful sprays that spray awful contents into the air quite some distance from the users and irritate the eyes, cause coughing and discomfort and for people that may have asthma also using the changing rooms, definitely to be avoided. At Coworth Park's Spa the excellent antiperspirant provided is not an aerosol, the spray comes out directly where it needs to go just by finger pressure. Extremely impressive... as are the Dyson hairdryers....and this is only the male changing rooms... I can also recommend the Spa cafe.

My husband and I have been coming to Coworth Park now for a number of years and on this occasion we opted to stay before our flight from Heathrow to celebrate our 10th Wedding Anniversary. We opt to celebrate every special occasion in our lives here due to the exemplary standards of service at the hotel, for us its so good the team are now like a second family to us. On this occasion we were upgraded to a fantastic room in the Mansion House which came with some lovely amenities to enjoy and a little gift from the team to celebrate our Anniversary. The room as always was spotlessly clean! We chose to dine in the seasonal restaurant Tide which is set outside in the sunshine overlooking the beautiful grounds. Here Chef Adam Smith showcases the best of sea food using the freshest and best quality ingredients. The food was delicious and as always we left very full and satisfied. The following day we opted to use the Spa where the fantastic team were there to greet us and we chose to use the gym and laze by the pool. Again everywhere was spotless! Overall it was another great stay for us, our 31st infact! We just happened to discover this place one day whilst looking for a special dinner and have made it our home since. We are not 'influencers' or affiliated with the hotel in anyway, we just love to come and celebrate specials occasions here!

The food and service were outstanding. Unfortunately, the ambience was let down by some guests who really stood out - I noticed feet on furniture and edges of coffee tables which is completely disrespectful, not adhering to what you would expect to be the dress code either for such a lovely venue. Possibly a cultural thing, but sitting within such company certainly detracted from an otherwise lovely experience.

Coworth Park charges £18 for an egg mayonnaise sandwich containing a layer of egg so thin you would need an electron microscope and a team from CERN to confirm its presence. It arrived at the table in a cardboard box, presumably because carrying dangerous bone china along a garden path breaches some daft health-and-safety rule...or because washing up has become an optional extra. The club sandwich was £32, which is one club I have no wish to join. Exclusive, certainly: mainly because common sense is refused entry. The croquet lawn is rather lovely, although the real game is being played in the kitchen: they serve, you’re robbed. Dining for people with more money than sense - and considerably more bread than filling.

Enjoyed a lovely afternoon tea. The sandwiches, cakes and scones were delicious and the tea menu was fantastic. We enjoyed some different teas that we wouldn't have tasted anywhere else. What makes the experience great is the staff though. They are all friendly and helpful. They make you feel like a valued guest. We had a little walk through the gardens and obviously everything is rather dry at the moment, they are still enjoyable and pretty.