Retreat and Recharge
Welcoming in the new year is the perfect occasion to reflect on our priorities, shift our mindsets and plan for the months ahead – and what better place to do that than on a luxurious wellness retreat?
A place to escape the everyday and reconfigure ourselves, retreats are a movement away from day-to-day life, often held somewhere still, quiet and amongst the natural world. More than just a simple holiday, retreats are an age-old means of replenishing our minds, bodies and spirits, and usually centre around mindfulness and fitness – or simply put, self-care. From digital-free digs to spa hotels and cottage escapes, here are insideKENT’s top recommendations for recharge-worthy retreats this January.
Utopia Spa at Rowhill Grange Hotel.
Hempstead House Hotel and Spa
Nestled within open farmland in the heart of Kent’s glorious countryside, Hempstead House is a hotel, spa and restaurant seamlessly combined. A luxury overnight stay at the house includes a spacious room brimming with character, including complimentary WiFi, tea and coffee-making facilities as well as bathrobes and toiletries. Downstairs at the Aquamanda Spa, guests can enjoy the hydrotherapy pool, jacuzzi, steam room and outdoor pool throughout their stay, with additional treatments available from full body massages to facials and hot stone therapies. At the adjoining gym, guests can make use of their Technogym, Power Plate and free weights equipment, with classes available to book online. From beginner to advanced difficulty, classes range from aqua zumba to dance aerobics and mindful yoga.
For those seeking a weekend or midweek spa break, Hempstead House offers packages including overnight accommodation, a full English breakfast, three-course dinner at the Lakes Restaurant and a spa treatment of your choice. Starting from £235 per person, more information can be found on their website.
Hempstead House Hotel and Spa
Badgells Wood, Meopham
With a mission to inspire a love of the outdoors in all visitors, Badgells Wood have created a fully off-grid experience as close to wild camping as possible. Situated in the ancient woodland of Birling Estate, Badgells Wood offers a wide variety of secluded woodland pitches, with a select number of pre-erected bell tents available aimed at easing guests into the woodland experience. Each five-metre tent is set on level decking with an outside awning, firepit and picnic table. Inside, guests will find a comfy double bed as well as two fold-out beds that will comfortably fit a family of four. With the company of the campfire and the at-home comforts of hot showers and facilities, a stay at the bell tent can be enjoyed by both newcomers and seasoned campers.
Every Saturday, Badgells Wood hosts a variety of sessions from yoga to axe-throwing, as well as basket weaving, spoon carving and foraging workshops for visitors to make the most out of what the woodlands have to offer. With the opportunity for mindful walks amongst the trees, there’s no better way to enjoy the wilderness than to step deeper into the forest as well as your thoughts. With an overnight stay at Badgells Wood disconnected from everyday stressors, guests are sure to return home feeling rested, relaxed and energised for the year ahead.
Badgells Wood
TOR Spa Retreat, Ickham
The UK’s leading Ayurvedic health spa, TOR offers unique spa packages and retreat days from its home in the village of Ickham, five miles east of Canterbury. TOR Spa Retreat offers its guests the opportunity to experience the benefits of an Ayurvedic lifestyle during their visit, an ancient system of medicine that originated in India over 5,000 years ago. Based on the belief that health and wellness are dependent on the balance between our mind, body, spirit and environment, Ayurveda encourages those who practise it to live in tune with nature’s laws.
At the TOR Spa Retreat, visitors will be greeted by their on-site Ayurvedic practitioner, studio lounge with soft sofas and gentle background music, as well as a Finnish sauna and stone steam room fit for relaxation. To make the most of a wellness excursion at the spa hotel, guests can book an Ayurveda Retreat package, which includes full access to the spa, en-suite accommodation, a one-hour health consultation and one Ayurvedic treatment per day, as well as home-cooked vegetarian meals. With yoga, pilates, mindfulness and life coaching sessions also available, more information can be found on their website.
Lavender & Sage Bespoke Spa B&B, Staplehurst
A haven of peace and tranquillity in the heart of The High Weald of Kent, Lavender & Sage offer bespoke B&B stays as well as afternoon and day spa escapes. This January, visitors can unwind at Scandinavian-style Sage Cottage for an overnight stay that’s sure to provide escape from the post-holiday hustle and bustle.
Inside the cottage, guests will find a four poster king-sized bed with crisp Egyptian cotton bedding, fluffy white gowns and a spacious en-suite bathroom. The following morning, guests can enjoy their complimentary continental breakfast out on the private deck, bathing in the panoramic countryside views. In the winter months, the B&B’s cosy firepit can be booked at an additional cost alongside a firepit hamper including a bag of toasting marshmallows, extendable forks and sparklers in addition to cosy hats and gloves to keep warm by the crackling fire. Perfect for couples or small circles of friends looking for a luxurious break from the noise of everyday life, Sage Cottage is an absolute must-visit this new year.
Lavender & Sage Bespoke Spa B&B
Cedar Cottage at Bore Place, Chiddingstone
A 500-acre estate with a focus on organic farming and regenerative land management, Bore Place offers holiday stays, group retreat accommodation, marked trails to explore the grounds and a whole host of public events. Situated in an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty, the Bore Place estate is home to a wide variety of reptiles, bats, deer and butterflies, with a wildflower meadow in full bloom during the summertime.
With five accommodation options on the grounds from converted stables and barns to glamping, for a blissful stay with up to four guests, Cedar Cottage offers a lovely escape to recharge in these early months of the year. Featuring two bedrooms, a living room with a warming log burner and an outdoor terrace to enjoy the countryside views, Cedar Cottage is fit for couples, small families and groups of friends to enjoy a slower pace of life through a weekend away. For those who remember to bring walking shoes, there are trails woven throughout the fields and woodlands of the 500-acre estate offering panoramic views of the unspoiled countryside, with many excellent spots to sit and reflect. To fully unwind with nature through a stay at the Bore Place estate, find out more about a yoga-centred retreat through their website.
Rowhill Grange & Utopia Spa, Dartford
www.alexanderhotels.co.uk/rowhill-grange
Crafted from a desire to transport the senses away from the everyday, Rowhill Grange’s Utopia Spa is the perfect destination for a refreshing break in the Kentish countryside. With 38 rooms and suites arranged across the Main House and Clockhouse, there are places to stay from cosy rooms to indulgent master suites. Each with their own unique charm and style, an overnight stay at Rowhill Grange’s luxurious boutique hotel bedrooms includes complimentary access to the Utopia Spa.
Fit with 19 treatment rooms, Romanesque split-level pools with waterfall jets, saunas, steam rooms and whirlpools, Rowhill Grange’s Utopia Spa is perfectly adapted for an invigorating escape from the mundane. Visitors at the spa can unwind with a selection of expertly curated body treatments, massages, facials and nail treatments at the spa, with specialty therapies such as their Circadian Syncing Deep Sleep Treatment certain to leave you feeling revitalised for the new year. More than just a stay at the spa, a visit to the multi award-winning Rowhill Grange & Utopia Spa is sure to pamper, energise and rebalance everyone who visits.
Utopia Spa at Rowhill Grange Hotel
Wild Woodland Retreat, Canterbury
A family-run farm in a Kentish Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty, Wild Woodland Retreat offers off-the-grid experiences for families looking to stay in one of their two shepherds’ huts. Both heated by wood burners with running water and adjoining en-suites, the huts run from 12v solar power within stunning countryside locations. Included in an overnight stay are Faith in Nature toiletries, various teas and breakfast cereals, cooking equipment and utensils as well as cosy duvets and pillows to keep warm on the colder nights. With one situated in a 10-acre private patch of woodland and the other on the valley hillside overlooking the grassland landscape, the shepherd’s huts are an excellent getaway spot for some much-needed time with the natural world this new year.
During a stay at the Wild Woodland Retreat, guests are encouraged to amble along the excellent walking routes straight from the doors of the huts, or book a walk with the family’s goats around the farm and surrounding countryside. For an even more unique experience, guests can book a goat yoga session, combining the beautiful scenery of the farm with the company of the animals as you move and meditate together channeling inner peace and calm.
Wild Woodland Retreat
Stede Court Private Fitness Retreat, Biddenden
www.stedecourtprivatefitnessretreat.co.uk
Situated in the stunning Kentish countryside, Stede Court offers bespoke fitness and wellbeing retreats designed to recharge the mind and body that are specially tailored to suit each visitor’s needs. The retreats include an array of exercises including yoga, circuits and personal training, as well as gut-healthy food, relaxation practices, cold water swimming and sleep and stress management. The retreats can be booked for private groups of one to six people, with an experienced and friendly personal trainer on sight to inspire guests to maintain a balanced and healthy lifestyle during and beyond their stay.
On-site, guests will find an outdoor circuit area, yoga decking and a swimming pond to be enjoyed during their stay, which can range anywhere from one night to two weeks. This January, those seeking a wellness refresh can book a Wellbeing Retreat with Stede Court, which includes a bespoke timetable of exercise, relaxation, treatments and that all-important digital detox. With the ‘new year, new me’ mantra back in circulation, there’s never been a better time to set new goals, reach inward and take care of your mind and body than right now.
Stede Court Private Fitness Retreat
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