The Times and Sunday Times has named Dorset hotel The Lime Wood number one in the Top 50 Best Boutique Hotel Awards in the UK. The judging panel reported after researching hundreds of potential entrants that nowhere ticked as many boxes as the Herb House Spa at the Limewood Hotel.
The Hampshire country house hotel opened in The New Forest in 2009 to rave reviews for its pioneering brand of laid-back luxury. A year later it added the icing on the cake, a three-storey temple to spa-ing. At the time, many country house rivals got by with an old-fashioned beauty salon, so the unveiling of the Herb House was a bold statement.
Almost 15 years on, it remains world class as well as remarkably prescient. Forest bathing, for example, may be so established now that the NHS recommends it as a social prescription, but back in 2010 it wasn’t on most UK spa managers’ radar. However, the Herb House design intuitively drew on its enchanted location overlooking the New Forest, which has one of the highest concentrations of ancient trees in western Europe. Its thermal suite, including its hydrotherapy pool and sauna, have floor-to-ceiling windows that showcase this centuries-old, stress-busting scene and there’s even a gate leading to marked trails in the woodland. If you were to ask Japanese scientists who have been studying forest bathing for decades, they would tell you that immersing yourself in this kind of landscape boosts your “natural killer” cells, the ones that fight off infection, by up to 50 per cent.
The Limewood describes itself as a Spa Hotel wet in the heart of the stunning New Forest National Park, just an hour and a half drive from London, and 20 minutes from the coast. The ultimate countryside getaway, just a dash from the city; perfect for those looking for a forest escape. Chef Angela Hartnett and Lime Wood’s Luke Holder, run Hartnett Holder and Co restaurant inside the hotel create locally sourced Italian dishes with a respectful nod to the seasons.
Bookings can be made through the Limewood Hotel website https://www.limewoodhotel.co.uk
