Want to blow the winter meh away? The Quay Hotel and Spa in North Wales could be the answer.
Here is my big life tip: the greatest way to go into January is with a getaway booked. It doesn’t have to be huge; I’m not talking about ten days in the Maldives – although if anyone is offering to send me then please get in touch. One night away, tucked into your diary as something to look forward to after Twelfth Night, is just the ticket. Bonus points if it’s at a spa so you can live your new year wellness fantasy.
I went to The Quay Hotel and Spa in Deganwy with my sister and stayed for one night. Here’s what we thought.
The spa
The interior of the spa is as gorgeous as the views from the hotel (more on those later). It’s pretty bijou, with just six loungers although there is space for more guests to sit at the foot spas, but also boujie with soft, purple tinged lighting and a relaxing vibe.
The hotel is fairly new, it opened in 2007, and the spa is pristine and smelled lush.
We were impressed by the number of ‘experiences’ on offer. There’s a sauna and steam room plus a Himalayan salt room for those, like me, who find sauna and steam rooms a bit hard going. There’s also an infrared sauna that felt like I was in one of those LED masks that The Real Housewives of Cheshire’s Rachel Lugo often has a discount code for.
The pool is delicious, and is big enough to do some gentle lengths, with hydrotherapy jets to the side. And there’s a cold shower if you want to get your Wim Hof on.
I experienced the serenity ritual, a 50-minute treatment consisting of a back, neck and shoulder massage and a personalised express facial. Watch out for the lip balm at the end which took me surprise (but I don’t have many facials so maybe this is standard).
Make sure you take a £1 coin for the lockers.
Hotels in Conwy with sea view
About that view. We stayed in a bedroom overlooking the quay and the view was stunning. Here’s my photo, taken on a bleak January day.
And here’s the hotel’s, taken when the sun had his hat on.
The restaurant also looks out over the bay, and both the food and the restaurant really are something.
The Quay Hotel and Spa menu
Here’s the menu from our January stay.
The food was stunning. We chose the tofu salad with crispy noodles to start, and it was – honestly – the tastiest thing I’ve eaten his year, and beautifully presented too.
We also had lunch at the hotel. Hot tip: check if lunch is included in your spa package. We thought it was, and it wasn’t, which resulted in us parading around the hotel in our spa robes before settling in the lounge that welcomes dogs for lunch, as robes are not allowed in the restaurant.
Although that wasn’t mega-relaxing, the lunch was superb. I had an open salmon sandwich and my sister mushroom soup and, heck, we both love dogs.
The Quay Hotel and Spa prices
An executive double with estuary view, suitable for two people, at The Quay Hotel and Spa starts from £100. With complimentary use of the pool and wellness facilities daily between 6:30am - 9am and 5:15 - 9pm, last entry at 8pm.
Georgina Terry is group editor of Closer online and heat, and has been with the titles since 2015. She's a mum of two and would happily turn her back on the glittering world of showbiz and become a spa reviewer full time, if anyone's offering.