Lifehouse Spa and Hotel is set in wonderful gardens – in fact the English Heritage Listed Thorpe Hall Gardens with lovely baby ducks, swans, geese, coots, moorhens all running about over the lawns or walking over the lily pond leaves when we were there! There is plenty of parking and a drop off point by the Hotel or, just over an hour by train from London. There are some lovely walks in the gardens and extended grounds, with a fitness trail. There was a daily mid morning walk if you wished to join it. Bikes are available for free hire if you wish and nearby is the pretty Essex towns of Frinton-on-Sea and Walton-on-the-Naze. One day we walked the headland of the Naze and climbed the Tower which had excellent views out to Harwich and beyond. The sandy beaches are great, but children cannot stay at the Spa.
There are lots of different treatments at the spa, plus a wonderful hydrotherapy pool with jets of water coming down to massage your back. Several different saunas, a salt one was different, plus a cold plunge pool to cool off in!
The food was good, with smoothy bar. Complimentary slippers to go about in, and use of white towel wrap. The rooms were very spacious with great views over the garden, and we had a room where we walked along a glass tunnel to get to it which was great.
A lovely pampering and relaxing experience which seemed good value to us.
