Urban Escape Spa overnight Package @ Crowne Plaza Hotel

Crowne Plaza Hotel in the city centre of Nottingham has long been a popular stay for the likes of business folk passing through, guests of events and party nights and those looking for a city escape with great spa facilities and with the recent refurbishment guests will not be disappointed…

Matthew checked us in and welcomed us with a very polite and professional manner.  We were given the double deluxe room on floor six and check in was very quick and efficient- good start…

Having visited the spa a few years ago the change in the interior and facilities was clear to see, a new indoor swimming pool with relaxing imagery on the walls giving a ‘holiday effect’, a steam room, hot tub, heated mosaic roman style loungers and rain showers.

The staff at Urban Escape are very welcoming and upon arrival we were given our robes, slippers and towels- I immediately started to relax to the smells of oils and chlorine wafting in from the pool area into reception. The changing rooms have just what is needed including showers of course and hairdryers/hair straighteners.

The pool was very much welcome after a hard week at work and I attempted a few lengths before trying out the steam room where I lasted a good ten minutes.  A quick shower and then a dip in the Jacuzzi- lots of powerful bubbles and a nice hot temperature  -just how I like it.

After enough time in the water we then relaxed and conversed on the warm mosaic loungers for a while until it was time to get dry and head towards our treatments.

The relaxation room doubles up as a waiting area where you’re advised to relax around ten minutes before your treatment and there are several loungers with blankets in there, low lit lighting and fruit water to enjoy.

Our therapists called us one by one into the treatment rooms for our pre-booked back neck and shoulder massages- one thing I need and enjoy regularly due to spending a lot of time sat in a chair at a desk for my job.

Chloe my therapist was very bubbly and friendly, putting me at ease immediately and asking me if I was enjoying my spa experience so far.  Chloe asked me to get undressed and lay on the couch face down covered in a thin sheet.

I was then offered two kinds of oils to choose from – both offering relaxing and rejuvenating qualities and with the spas products all being ESPA I really didn’t mind which she used on me.

I was asked to take a deep breath in and out which relaxed me straight away into enjoying my twenty five minute massage.  Chloe’s techniques were very good and once finished she allowed me to regain myself and then took me back through to the relaxation room for cucumber water and more rest!

Once dressed we made our way back to our hotel room to change for dinner.

The facilities in the room are just what is required for an overnight stay in a city hotel, with toiletry products provided in the well sized bathroom, a shower over the bath, extremely large bed in the deluxe double room with Sky television and a good view over Nottingham.

We were also treated to Cadburys hot chocolate and biscuits along with bottled water and found more robes and slippers in our wardrobe, along with an iron and board- something surprisingly a lot of hotels make you beg for.

Dinner was served in the atmospheric, newly decorated restaurant Swatch and I was pleasantly surprised by just how many covers they had in and what a buzz there was, considering my experience of hotel restaurants to be somewhat lacking in the atmosphere department. We were seated in the corner booth overlooking the entire restaurant- a great view to ‘people watch’ and our waiters were all very obliging and friendly.

To start we enjoyed a good sized bowl of tomato and basil soup with bread and creamy garlic mushrooms on toasted bread, which were both very tasty.

For main course my dining partner opted for a super food salad including edamame beans and pomegranate pearls with extra feta and was tempted with side dishes of carrots and a parsnips and a bowl of fries to share.  My choice of risotto was not with regret, as it was cooked to perfection and a very generous portion size, unfortunately I was unable to finish, however very tasty and well seasoned all the same.

Dessert on this occasion was declined purely as we were dually satisfied with what we had already eaten and had no need for more.  A nice glass of rose wine was enjoyed along the way however and although lovely, I know that next time the side dishes will be unnecessary due to the generous portion sizes and I will then allow myself to indulge in dessert guilt free

The bed was very comfortable – again such an important aspect when staying in a hotel- the pillows really fluffy too and what’s more because the rooms have all been completely renovated, the feeling of ‘fresh and new’ and ‘unlived in’ sprung to mind, which made the stay all the more pleasant.

All in all Crowne Plaza Hotel offers everything one needs in order to have a pleasant and comfortable stay with impressive spa facilities,  welcoming staff and delicious food.

I wouldn’t hesitate to revisit the restaurant for dinner without feeling the need to stay overnight- its one to be experienced in its own right.

Fiona Duncan, RSViP/The Sleepy vegetarian