Get involved: send your photos, videos, news & views by texting 'OXFORD NEWS' to 80360 or email »
1:13pm Wednesday 6th August 2008
Putting yourself first is really important as the demands of life push up the stress - but trying to cram all the nice things into those two precious days at the weekend can be quite exhausting!
So why not utilise your evening better in the pursuit of relaxation. You may, like me, have fantasised about walking out of the office and into a blissful spa haven. Well, in fact, this is perfectly possible - if you don't mind making a short drive there.
Whittlebury Spa at Silverstone is quite a rare thing - it is a top-notch spa at an affordable price. And its Twilight Spa is an excellent idea that has really taken off.
It is designed for people who want to unwind at the end of a busy working day. You get the full use of the spa's Heat and Ice Experience, the hydrotherapy pool and swimming pool, plus a delicious pasta supper and a glass of wine - all for £27.50. So that adds up to four-and-a-half hours (5.30pm to 10pm) of relaxation.
I visited with my daughter at the end of April. You can't fail to relax as the jets in the hydrotherapy pool pummel away the stresses and strains. Then it is fun to try out all the heat and ice features including the Roman salt steam, foot spas, sanarium and, for the brave, the ice cave and freezing bucket shower!
The Twilight Spa forms but a small part of the delights offered by The Day Spa at Whittlebury Hall, a swish 211-bedroom four star hotel.
We relaxed over our chicken pasta supper with a glass of wine, then took a swim in the pool.
We bubbled nicely in the jacuzzi, then put on our bathrobes as we had opted to include a treatment in our schedule (which bumps the cost up the £50 per person), and thoroughly enjoyed our 25-minute express E'Spa facials.
By the end of all that we were chilled to perfection, and ready for bed! We were treated to a stay in a club room at the hotel. Fuelled by an excellent full English' breakfast the next morning we were ready to face the working day! I thoroughly recommend it!
Just the other week I drove to Stroud to help a fellow wine-writer taste her way though dozens of the UK’s top-selling wine brands.
Before last week, my one experience of Nando’s had been a rather nasty meal at its Cowley Road operation shortly after it opened six or seven years ago in what had previously been the Prince of Wales pub. The sweet taste of the glutinous coleslaw remains with me to this day. As can be imagined, then, I didn’t exactly rush to sample the second Oxford branch when it opened at the beginning of the year at the west end of George Street, where the Opium Den used to be.
Please mind the dragon, I was urged. I was grateful for the warning, even though the slinky green creature, which comes complete with a crimson mouth and the brightest of white teeth, was a bit difficult to miss. By chance, the dragon is resting on a piece of floor that is familiar with bright colours — a printing press sat there until recently, turning out brochures and book covers in all the colours of the rainbow.
This is a great show for children of all ages, even those drawing their pension! In the Village Hall at Wytham The Story Machine had the audience in stitches. Professor Ivor Bumm and his assistant Dr Willy Whee were there to present their new invention – a machine that could tell any story, with special brilliant effects and a cast of hundreds of androids.
JIM Smith will be instrumental in the appointment of Oxford United's new manager.
Enter your postcode, town or place name
Find your next job now in Oxfordshire
Search Now »
Make a date in Oxfordshire now!
Search Now »
Oxfordshire homes for sale and to let
Search Now »
Cars for sale in Oxfordshire
Search Now »