Checking into one of the UK's best new spa resorts
You’ve got to love a sense of arrival – a sweeping driveway, grand buildings unfurling before you, lush green vistas – things that let you know you’ve definitely escaped the mundane and are about to enter a little world of luxury.
Welcome to Fairmont’s latest UK hotel, created in 40 acres of beautifully landscaped gardens adjacent to Windsor Great Park and set to become a hotspot for its incredible wellness offering, fabulous dining, and seriously impressive events spaces.
This feels like a passion project for owner Surinder Arora, the founder of Arora Group, who’s clearly enjoyed having a blank sheet of paper to create a 21st century luxury hotel; I’d say the team have done a pretty good job of it.
Fairmont Windsor Park is on the site of a former manor house, but all that remains of that are Jacobean architectural echoes and a couple of the original fireplaces. A modern lobby awaits now, from where a cleverly designed and lit corridor leads off into the depths of the meeting spaces. The ballroom can take a whopping 700 guests, perfect for big weddings and conferences, which the hotel says are booking up fast.
Also off that corridor is Moreish – where I had a delicious breakfast in this European and Middle Eastern brasserie aimed at casual dining with soothing garden views – which is also home to the Schroders’ Botanicals Bar, where gins from local artisans and world-renowned brands will be the order of the day.
The Library Club – inspired by the original mansion’s library vibes – does a fine job of drawing you in for relaxing drinks and squishy sofas, while the 1215 Bar has alluring cubbyholes, a great cocktail list, and a vibrant pre-dinner atmosphere during my stay.
Let’s not forget the hotel’s sweet shop (yes, really!) and the beautiful Orchid Tea Room where beautiful wallpaper reflects the mansion’s original owners’ passion for orchids. Here, the team seem ready to give sister hotel The Savoy a run for its money in the afternoon tea stakes.
Alas, I’ll have to return to see how that particular offering stacks up, as my fleeting visit only allowed for dinner in 1215 at Fairmont Windsor Park – the 1215 referring to the year the Magna Carta was signed down the road in Runnymede.
There was a satisfying “back to normal” buzz about the place; I sensed the team working there were not quite prepared for its popularity though – still, teething issues can be forgiven when the quality of the food is this good, under head chef Luke Fouracre. Although wellbeing is said to be at the heart of every dish however, I would have liked to see more vegetarian options, especially as the movement continues to pick up pace.
The options though will be truly endless when people visit the Fairmont Spa & Wellness centre: I am not sure I have ever come across such a comprehensive offering in a country hotel in the UK.
Literally no smooth stone has been left unturned to create the ultimate wellbeing space, and all with sustainability credentials at heart too, with all spa and wellness partners chosen for their commitment to environmentally friendly materials too.
You name it – the facility has it, from a cryotherapy chamber, to Japanese Ashiyu Foot Bath; from Vitamin Infusion Suite, to a 12-bike group cycle studio; from a state-of-the-art MyScan 4D health scanner, to a 20-metre indoor pool with incredible heated beds (the Courtyard Hydrotherapy Vitality Pool was not quite ready when I was there); and from a Reformer Pilates studio, to a beautiful six-person marble Hammam. This is a wellbeing space to hanker after once you’ve checked out as a guest – and locals are already rushing to sign up for memberships too.
I was blissed out and blown away by the Sandstone massage (from £120 for 55 minutes), which was expertly administered in a beautiful treatment room. Also here is a Davines hair salon, Truefitt & Hill Barbers, and Greens Cafe, designed for health-conscious dining. There is even a private VIP Salutaris Suite, accessible only through a private lift from the Signature Royal Suite.
For us mere mortals, there are 200 room options and even the lead-in Fairmont King room had a quiet elegance and well thought-out luxurious feel to it (also worth noting that the twin rooms have two full doubles in, so no compromise for those sharing rooms and used to single beds).
I was lucky enough to have a Fairmont One Bedroom King Terrace Suite, where the little terrace made greeting the sunrise over this new treasure even more of a pleasure. The bathroom was enormous with a closet-sized walk-in shower and huge soaking tub, while Le Labo amenities brought their usual divine scents to the equation. These were still in miniature size, but the hotel assures me steps are being taken to introduce more sustainable options.
Make no mistake, this is an enormous project, and some bits still needed tweaking when I stayed, plus I would also have liked to see a little more character injected via artwork and greenery here and there – but come the summer, this will be a roaring success.
Book clients in now while you still can. They’ll have to fight the locals for a spot in the bars, spa and restaurants, that’s for sure.
How to book it
From £575 (fully flexible rate) for a Fairmont King room including breakfast, fairmont-windsorpark.com
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Place of registration: England and Wales.
Company number 08723341.
Registered address: 6th Floor, 2 London Wall Place, London EC2Y 5AU
