A haven close to home at The Grove
Caron Kemp didn’t have to travel far for the perfect girlie getaway
Caron Kemp is a freelance journalist
It may only be a mile or so down the road for some of you, but The Grove is an authentic countryside resort and, with its sprawling golf course, exquisite spa, kids’ club and wide variety of activities, we should celebrate the fact that it’s in Watford.
Why schlep to the Cotswolds when you can stay in 300 acres of manicured land and get home quickly if the alarm goes off? The property has been a favoured getaway destination among the rich and famous since brothers Daniel and Stuart Levy took ownership in 1996. Popular with golf enthusiasts, it is also ideal for a girlie getaway – hence my visit with bestie Mel in tow, for 24 hours of pure bliss.
The tastefully decorated Sequoia Spa, with its stunning black mosaic indoor swimming pool and all the mod cons you’d expect, is the ideal spot to while away the hours sipping complimentary herbal teas in a fluffy white robe.
A new addition to the vast Natura Bissé and ESPA treatment menu is a mindfulness massage. Promising to not only undo the physical knots of everyday life, but to help relax the mind and release emotional anxieties, I felt I was the perfect candidate to see if it lived up to the hype.
This holistic, deeply relaxing and clarifying experience focuses on both mind and body to help reduce stress. The therapist skilfully guides you through breathing and visualisation techniques before the metamorphic zones on the feet are massaged to help rebalance and ground, before a soothing, deeply therapeutic massage is continued up through the body to promote positivity to the mind, finishing with a
re-energising scalp massage using warm rose quartz crystals.
I think it’s fair to say that I’m naturally quite cynical when it comes to mindfulness, but I found the 80 minutes in the stunning room, adorned with flickering scented candles and mood music, peaceful to the core and, in the hours that followed, I really did find my zen. (Obviously it disappeared within moments of hitting the A41 back to north London).
The Grove has 227 rooms and ours was a stone’s throw from the main reception and offered beautiful views across the plot from our large sash windows. The sizeable walk-in shower and state-of-the-art wall-mounted television were welcome additions.
Dinner was taken at The Stables, one of the three celebrated on-site restaurants. Priding itself on simple food served to perfection, all home-cooked in the wonderful, comforting setting of the estate’s original stable block, we pulled up a corner pew and supped on Prosecco until our meal arrived. We had salad starters, with flawlessly-cooked sea bass as a main, and the exceptional staff were only too happy to offer our desserts of sticky toffee pudding and baked vanilla cheesecake as room service.
Breakfast in the infamous Glasshouse offered a spectacular buffet and was swiftly followed by a visit to the notorious Walled Garden to soak
up the last summer rays.
With its urban beach, Ofsted-rated outstanding kids’ club, badminton court, giant chess, football pitch, croquet and large outdoor pool framed by comfortable cushioned deck chairs, I’d think twice before heading for
Luton airport.
Prices start from £340 per room per night on a bed and breakfast basis. Various spa packages are also available.
For more information, visit
thegrove.co.uk
Thank you for helping to make Jewish News the leading source of news and opinion for the UK Jewish community. Today we're asking for your invaluable help to continue putting our community first in everything we do.
For as little as £5 a month you can help sustain the vital work we do in celebrating and standing up for Jewish life in Britain.
Jewish News holds our community together and keeps us connected. Like a synagogue, it’s where people turn to feel part of something bigger. It also proudly shows the rest of Britain the vibrancy and rich culture of modern Jewish life.
You can make a quick and easy one-off or monthly contribution of £5, £10, £20 or any other sum you’re comfortable with.
100% of your donation will help us continue celebrating our community, in all its dynamic diversity...
Engaging
Being a community platform means so much more than producing a newspaper and website. One of our proudest roles is media partnering with our invaluable charities to amplify the outstanding work they do to help us all.
Celebrating
There’s no shortage of oys in the world but Jewish News takes every opportunity to celebrate the joys too, through projects like Night of Heroes, 40 Under 40 and other compelling countdowns that make the community kvell with pride.
Pioneering
In the first collaboration between media outlets from different faiths, Jewish News worked with British Muslim TV and Church Times to produce a list of young activists leading the way on interfaith understanding.
Campaigning
Royal Mail issued a stamp honouring Holocaust hero Sir Nicholas Winton after a Jewish News campaign attracted more than 100,000 backers. Jewish Newsalso produces special editions of the paper highlighting pressing issues including mental health and Holocaust remembrance.
Easy access
In an age when news is readily accessible, Jewish News provides high-quality content free online and offline, removing any financial barriers to connecting people.
Voice of our community to wider society
The Jewish News team regularly appears on TV, radio and on the pages of the national press to comment on stories about the Jewish community. Easy access to the paper on the streets of London also means Jewish News provides an invaluable window into the community for the country at large.
We hope you agree all this is worth preserving.
