Escapes

ONIN.London visits… Whittlebury Park Golf Resort & Spa

With holidays abroad cut off at present – unless you fancy a visit to Gibraltar – following prime minister Boris Johnson’s latest announcement, there’s never been a better time to explore what Britain has to offer.

It’s also understandable if you’re in dire need of a relaxing experience and we have the perfect recommendation for you.

Introducing: Whittlebury Park, a four-star hotel, spa and golf course.

ONIN.London visited the site last month and it ticks all of the boxes that you’d expect from a countryside resort; from the luxury food to serene soundings and a top-notch spa that we’re still dreaming about.

But before we get into that, a few basics.

Whittlebury Park is perfect for Londoners especially, as it’s just a hop, skip and an affordable – and short – train ride to Milton Keynes. Once you arrive in the town best known for its roundabouts, simply grab a taxi from the station and 25 minutes (and approximately £25-£30) later, you’ll be at the resort.

At the time of writing, Covid rules are still very much in place so you’ll need to wear a face mask unless you’re in the various restaurants, pool or leisure areas.

We dined at both of Whittlebury Park’s restaurants. First up, Murrays.

Top tip: wear a stylish outfit, this is a classy joint with three AA rosettes, as well as other awards – and it shows in both the dishes and the service.

The seasonal menu is very much created per the chef’s whim, using seasonal and local ingredients where possible.

Fine dining can be hit and miss; the food is usually great but often diners are left hungry at the end, reaching for a late-night burger (no, just us?) from a takeaway. No need to worry, you won’t have that problem here.

In fact, we walked away stuffed.

The evening started with an amuse-bouche and unlimited fresh bread, before a starter of Pea and Mint Veloute (as light as air, yet somehow very filling), followed by Duroc Pork served with boots farm potato, savoy cabbage and young carrot (which sounds a bit basic British but is anything but) and for dessert, a cheese board.

Forget a few paltry slices of Red Leicester and blue cheese with a side of soft grapes from your local pub; the server will bring you a veritable feast of six full size cheeses to choose from – and you can have as much as you want from each.

The chef isn’t wasteful either; anything left over from the board (which only the server touches) will simply be used in future dishes.

Detail is everything at Murrays, with a palate cleanser served between the meals and chocolate truffles to finish off what was an exquisite dinner.

The venue is intimate, which can feel somewhat intimidating if you’re not used to this type of setting but just let the luxury settle over you and ask the host to bring you a glass of their finest red, and you’ll be dandy.

Our second day at Whittlebury started with a breakfast in Astons, which has a much more relaxed vibe.

This was the only downside to our stay as while the buffet on offer was lovely, the servers didn’t seem to have adjusted to the new Covid processes just yet, with many tables often waiting a long time for help, trying – and failing – to flag down team members who seemed to ignore our glances.

We also enjoyed a cream tea in the same venue later that day and unfortunately one of our dishes – the Huevos Rancheros – had a piece of eggshell in it. The servers were very apologetic though and the chef instantly cooked us up another meal.

However, these were small oversights and frankly, the Whittlebury spa experience was so incredibly fantastic that we didn’t really care about the food mishaps.

Whether you go for a day visit or book a whole weekend, the spa is the crowning glory of this resort (arguably even more so than the golfing opportunities, but then again – we don’t golf).

Spend an hour or two sitting in the heated pool, having your back massaged by the water pumping out from various pipes and you’ll be hard-pressed to find anything to be stressed about.

There’s plenty to experience including hot and cold showers (the ice cave was a treat), steam rooms, dry and wet saunas… you name it, Whittlebury has it.

That’s without taking into account the pampering experiences; we opted for a massage and facial, conducted in a dimly-lit room with soothing music.

Let’s just say we fell asleep during the session and that’s the biggest compliment possible.

Additionally, there’s an in-house pedicure and manicure salon, a hairdresser, a makeup area with products for sale, should you forget your own, and a dark relaxation room with lounge chairs.

If you don’t fancy the full spa package, simply make use of the hotel’s 19m swimming pool and two jacuzzis, which are included in the stay and housed in a Greek bath house-style space.

Once properly spoiled, we made a brief visit to the Silverstone Bar, which is open until late every night, before dinner at Astons.

So, here’s the thing: the experience was bound to be a letdown after the meal at Murrays, however that’s like comparing apples to oranges.

We started with Chicken Liver Parfait served alongside grape chutney and Melba toast, followed by Slow Cooked Beef Brisket with creamed Potatoes, crushed roots, buttered broccoli and red wine jus.

To finish, we shared Belgian waffles with caramelised banana and vanilla ice cream.

The dinner was pleasant, the service was very good and we had a fantastic bottle of 2008 Chateuneuf du Pape – but the food wasn’t quite as mindblowing as we’d hoped, albeit enjoyable as a whole.

Regardless, we were still floating on a spa-themed cloud though and went to bed full and happy.

Whittlebury Park is a huge space and on a non-Covid day, there’s plenty to explore. We ventured out onto the grounds and it’s as picturesque as advertised with an indoor and outdoor terrace, a garden pathway, huge private rooms available for weddings, conferences, parties and more.

There’s even camping available, should you be up for roughing it in nature.

And of course, the 36-hole golf course.

So… did Whittlebury Park earn its four-star standard despite a few hiccups? Yes.

We’ll be back in that spa pool very soon.

Prices vary depending on the room and type of experience you choose but are generally quite affordable, with a three-course dinner, overnight stay and breakfast starting from £123. Spa Days start from £99 per person.

Website: https://www.whittlebury.com/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/WhittleburyPark

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/whittleburypark/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/WhittleburyParkOfficial/