A birthday stay at Seaham Hall!

Over the weekend my boyfriend and I visited Seaham Hall it was part one of his birthday surprise. I have visited Seaham Hall before for a spa day with my mum but never stayed overnight; we certainly were not disappointed. The hotel grounds are even more spectacular at Christmas time, with wooden reindeer in the foyer, garlands and fairy lights wrapped around bannisters. This huge Christmas tree was just outside of our room.

Check-in was quick and easy, but as our room wasn’t ready until 3:00 pm we headed to the serenity spa. We entered through a huge tunnel, with a grand stone elephant water feature at the end. We chilled out on the loungers, before trying out a few of the spa facilities, I loved the eucalyptus steam room, I was full of cold and it seriously helped clear my sinuses. I wasn’t brave enough to jump in the plunge pool after though! There’s heated outdoor jacuzzis, steam rooms, plunge pools, indoor jacuzzis, Turkish baths, something for everyone really.

We had a 60-minute massage booked for each of us, I loved that you could choose if you wanted your hour-long massage to be chilled and quiet or chatty! We both choose quiet as we just wanted to zone out and relax. I opted for a back and shoulder massage and then a mini facial as my skin gets really dry in the winter. The girls were so friendly and kept checking if the pressure was okay and if we were warm enough. After our massage’s I was given advice on which products would be best for my skin. We were taken to some loungers and given blackberry sorbet, and fruit-infused water. This was the only part of the spa we found to be a little bit boring but you are supposed to be relaxing I guess! 

We stayed in The Garden Suite, it is absolutely amazing. From the decor (how cute are the butterflies on the headboard!) to the outdoor wood-fired hot-tub in our private garden, we were blown away. It was huge, there were little festive snowman snacks waiting for us, magazines, along with fresh robes, slippers and towels. I love hotel bathrooms and I have to say this bath is up there with one of the best I have ever stayed in, look at the size of it. There were also some Temple Spa goodies and a little rubber duck keep-sake, it’s the little touches in this hotel that really make it feel luxurious. My boyfriend loved playing around with the tablet by the side of the bed you could order room service, book treatments etc every single thing was thought of.

We didn’t want to leave the beautiful room but it was time for some food. We ate in the O zone restaurant, which is pan-Asian cuisine. We dined in our robes as most guests do, this did feel a little odd at first but after a while, I got used to wandering around everywhere in my dressing gown and slippers.Now for the food. Oh my god, the food was amazing, my boyfriend loves Asian food whereas I am a little pickier but I ate and enjoyed absolutely everything. We both chose duck pancakes for starters along with some prawn crackers. The presentation was lovely as they came out in this lovely little box, they tasted even better. For our mains we both fancied a curry, I chose the yellow Thai curry with beef and my boyfriend chose the Green Thai curry with underbelly pork. The pork underbelly was literally melt-in-your-mouth. Sadly we didn’t have any room left for desserts. As someone who is quite a fussy eater I cannot believe how much I enjoyed that thai curry, the flavours were amazing.

We had a wander back into the spa for a bit and then headed back to our room to make the most of it. The mini bar in our room was complimentary, which was a nice touch, so we took the lid off the hot tub and sat outside under the stars, it was absolute bliss. Despite the hotel being fully booked, we felt like it was just us.

The next morning I got up early and headed to the spa, as a super early-bird I was pleasantly surprised to find out its open from 6:30 am. It was a gorgeous winter morning with the sun shining so I headed to the outside spa area, my boyfriend joined me a little later. After a shower, we headed for breakfast, the room was very grand, I loved that you could order multiple things off the menu all included, almost like a personal buffet just for you, if you fancied salmon you could also order a stack of pancakes. We both opted for the full English, with a side of toast and pastries.

We had such a relaxing mini-break and the staff really make the hotel, they are all so pleasant, attentive and welcoming, nothing feels like too much trouble. We both agreed we will be back, it was exactly what we needed!