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Sequoia also has a large fitness studio, and exercise studio, there are also tennis courts and a croquet lawn. I found the rooms very relaxing, they are large airy and so you don't feel enclosed when you are having a treatment. ESPA created a unique menu of individual treatments. The range of ESPA products are mixed using the high quality wild or organically grown plant extracts, they combine natural ingredients with the latest in scientific advances and are cruelty free.
There are ESPA's Signature Treatments which are inspiring, life enhancing, and they most certainly have a sole of their own.
My treatment is all I can say out of this world, the esthetician was a lady called Vanessa Killough, who had a number of years experience; I drifted away into the Hertfordshire countryside without a care in the world. The treatment I had was the Balinese Body Massage, which lasted one hour and twenty minutes, the treatment was inspired by traditional cultures and was a great way to get rid of stress, with a welcoming foot ritual, and the treatment was bespoke around my needs.
There are many treatments from the ESPA Ultimate Body Wraps to the ESPA Ayurevedic Influence, which are designed and created by ESPA to ensure that every minute of your treatment is best used to suit your physical, emotional and spiritual needs, which lasts one hour and fifty minutes.
Treatments are also available for golfers; there is the Sequoia Golfer's Ritual Break, which combines the following:
*One night in a superior room
*Breakfast in your room, or in The Glasshouse restaurant
*Dinner in The Glasshouse
*One-hour massage
*Access to heat treatments and relaxation rooms
*One round of Golf
There is also the Sequoia Advanced Ayurvedic influence:
A truly personal journey of intuitive and education hands-on-therapy, that enables a unique and ancient cultural experience from the traditions of Eastern principles to bring about a balance and harmony.
*One night in a superior room
*Breakfast in your own room, or in The Glasshouse
*Dinner in The Glasshouse
*Welcome Foot Ritual Consultation
*Dosha Specific Hot Stone Massage and Body Wrap
*Access to all the experiences and relaxation rooms
They all sound wonderful, and a great way to unwind
RESTAURANTS TO SUIT EVERY MOOD
The Grove has three restaurants, Colette's the a la carte restaurant, that offers modern cooking with a classic twist, with sweeping views over the grounds. The Glasshouse with fresh ingredients cooked to order, and the Stables with a cosy and relaxed service, with great bar lounge food. I decided to dine in The Glasshouse, I found the carvery excellent and there were a number of groups of people, ranging in ages from older people to young groups, giving the restaurant a very cosmopolitan feel. Colette's to me is the more intimate restaurant and well-worth visiting for a special occasion, the restaurant prides itself in it's sophisticated personal service.
The Stables is a comfortable bar, that sells a selection of food, and is a great lunchtime place for a convenient snack and you can sit outside, weather permitting and look over the fairways of the golf course.
TEEING OFF AT THE GROVE
The Kyle-Phillips designed 18-hole championship course is the home to some of the world's most famous greens; the course is on the world best courses to play and the $7.5 million World Golf Championships were held there in 2006, it is tough enough for the likes of Tiger Woods and Ernie Els, and offers different hotel, golf and spa packages.
Quote from Gary Player: “The Grove is without doubt one of the finest facilities I have ever seen anywhere in the world.”
That is the esteem it is held at the best, I am sure more championship tournaments will follow.
IT IS GREAT TO TALK TO A REAL PR SPECIALIST
While I was at The Grove, I met Katharine Walsh, Head of Press and the Public Relations Manager, she told me about how they are building the brand, and the retention levels of guests, through the excellent service, she said nothing is to much of a trouble when you stay at The Grove, we aim to make your stay a memorable one, and for you to tell business colleagues and friends about your experience. She also told me that The Grove does not advertise, it is word of mouth in regards to guests, and from my experience I will be recommending the resort, the local high-affluent community have helped to put the resort on the map, less than four miles away is Chorleywood, one of the most wealthy areas to live in Britain.
What I like about Katharine is she is a lady with a PR and Business background, she understands the hotel market, from visiting resorts around the world and working in the beauty industry, and spa market, it is a refreshing change to find a knowledgeable person at that level.
After spending two days there chilling, I can say, the experience was of a calming environment, where one can have plenty of exercise or just sit back and relax and watch the world go by. On Friday, I was sitting out in the gardens, looking in my diary when I could return, and a sudden shiver came over me, it went up my spine, it was most certainly not a British Summer cloud in sight, could it be the ghost of Room 15, trying to contact me?
**It is said that a ghostly fox-hunter haunts the park; it is thought to be Lord Donneraile, who was condemned to ride forever, with hell hounds in purist of phantom foxes. His punishment is in response to him transforming the site of an ancient chapel in the basement, into a kitchen, when he was building the property in the 18th-century.
Is this the truth behind Room 15, could this be on the site of the old kitchen?
© SPA MANAGEMENT JOURNAL - MAY 2008
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