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Dunston Hall, Norwich - 2 bubbles
A Good Spa Spy was staying at Dunston Hall so popped into the Lilac Room while she was there. Let's get things clear. In our opinion, this hotel does not have a spa. It has a swimming pool, and it has a beauty salon. In separate places. The treatments at the Lilac Rooms were great, but the whole experience was not essence of spa.
First impressions?
How did they welcome you?
What happens next?
Which treatments did you have?
What were the treatments like?
How did you feel afterwards?
What happens afterwards?
Was it worth it?
What else could you have?
What do you wish you'd known before you went?
Any special features?
Who do you think would like it?
Why did you give the spa this rating?
Would you go again?
First impressions?
Dunston Hall benefits from a gorgeous location. It's just south of Norwich and has views over acres of parkland and trees. It's a quiet and peaceful place. Although the sign on the drive from the A140 warns to be wary of golfers (perhaps particularly vicious in this part of East Anglia), there were none to be seen as I drove up the gravel drive to the impressive façade of this elegant manor house. The red brick gables and soaring chimneys aren't quite as old as they look - the house was built as a country retreat in 1859 - but they give an Elizabethan air.
How did they welcome you?
Checking in for my room, fine. "You go down there, turn left, go down the stairs and there are signs..."
There were many signs.
Down the stairs, along a corridor, up some stairs? this hotel is a bit of a maze. The main part of the house is home to the bar, restaurants and four-poster bedrooms. The other bedrooms are off to the side in a separate win. When I finally reached my room, i9I found it nicely presented with a gloriously large and comfortable bed and a view of some more rooms opposite. It was well-appointed place for the night, with a large TV, tea-making equipment, and a large space where the minibar used to be. So if you're prone to waking up at 3am with a thirst for overpriced Chablis, bring your own. No water or ice, no bathrobe, an adequate bathroom with enough L'Occitane en Provence bathing products, and an ambience only slightly marred by a sparse choice of towels and spots of black mould in the shower.
What happens next?
I went down to The Lilac Room, which is down some stairs from the hotel lobby but not actually in the basement. You can also reach it via a long, tunnel-like corridor from the pool. However, the salon is open to anyone, not just hotel guests, and is open seven days a week.
On arrival, a member of staff asked me to fill in a health form. (Was I under the influence of alcohol? That's a new one on me.) I got a cup of water from the cooling machine but was not offered a hot drink, which would have been nice as I was in a mood for green tea.
Which treatments did you have?
I had an Oxyliance facial with the French brand Sothys.
What were the treatments like?
My therapist, Nicki, came to fetch me from the Reception area and took me through to the treatment room (there are five altogether). She asked me to watch out for the electric cable running from the wall to the massage table so I stepped over this safely (and thankfully, as the sterilising unit was also steaming away on the floor and I didn't want to go head-first into that). The place was not doing well on health and safety standards so far.
There are no lockers here, and if you've come down from your room, you'll just be wearing your ordinary clothes. So you strip down to your underwear, hang your clothes on the back of the door, and enjoy the little bag in which you can place your most precious items.
Thanks to the cable, the massage couch was warm, and I soon settled down. The facial was extremely relaxing. As well as the usual cleansing, there was a lot of face and scalp massage while a vitamin-infused mask suffused my skin with goodness. I especially liked the feeling of being cocooned in a fluffy white blanket while the unguents did their work, so would recommend this as a facial for the terminally tired.
How did you feel afterwards?
Great. It was a good treatment, nicely carried out in less than perfect circumstances.
What happens afterwards?
When the facial was over, Nicki brought me some fresh water and asked if I would like the bed raised while I drank it. She gave me a little time to relax before I put my clothes back on, then I went back into the Reception area to pay.
Later that evening, I had dinner with a friend in The Brasserie, which was newly refurbished since my last visit, and stylishly welcoming, although the staff were slow in actually bringing us anything. The dinner was fine for a Sunday evening. The menu was interesting - corned beef hash with duck egg, anyone? - but we went for the carvery option, which seemed the best value. Odd to see the help-yourself veggies all covered with clingfilm, though. At breakfast the next morning, the buffet was better, with plenty of choice of fruit, cereals, yogurt, and juices, and cooked bacon, sausages, eggs and so on. No fresh pressed orange juice, however, and no chance of ordering anything else you might fancy, such as porridge, poached eggs or kippers.
After my bacon and grilled tomatoes, I made it my mission to explore the pool and associated areas...
The health club: The girl at the health-club reception desk at 7am was very pleasant, telling me I needed a pound coin for a locker. I didn't have one, and was reluctant to negotiate the maze all the way to my room and back again. However, she took my room key and gave me a pound coin returnable on the return of the locker key instead.
The gym: This is on two floors with a good array of machines, bikes, cross-trainers, running machines, but a limited array of resistance machines, mats and weights. Obviously popular with locals as, at 7am, the bikes were busy. There is a water machine on both levels, which is great. I was in there both mornings of my stay at 7am and neither time was there actually a member of staff in the gym, so if you have questions, you're on your own.
The pool: The swimming pool works well as a lap pool in the early morning with lanes marked off for serious swimming. There are loungers around it but I didn't see anyone on them. The place felt sad and neglected. I couldn't face the stainless steel Jacuzzi, which looked a bit forbidding, but I did try the sauna, and this was a pleasant surprise. The turquoise tiles were warm and the steam was pleasantly hot. The sauna was equally empty but equally hot, and had tiered wooden benches for a horizontal heating experience.
The changing rooms: I was reminded of a council swimming pool circa 1972. The rot in the bottom of the door that leads from the changing rooms to the pool was a low point. The whole area cries out for a refurb. There are some functional but scruffy showers but I am afraid I was not brave enough to try them after my swim, scurrying back to my room instead.
Was it worth it?
Go mid-week. I paid £53 for the facial as I was there on a Sunday, but you would pay £46 for exactly the same treatment midweek (Monday to Thursday). It's good value, but why pay more?
What else could you have?
All the beauty treatments you could wish for, with a wide range of wraps, massages, facials, and treatments for mums-to-be. Other treatments include reflexology, St Tropez tanning, waxing, eyelash and eyebrow tinting and shaping, plus OPI manicures and pedicures (with nail art, too: pearls, flowers and little gems to make you sparkle). There are specific treatments for men, too, including an appropriate golfer's tonic. You can also choose from some good-value packages, including a mother-and-daughter day of fun. If you book a package, however, this includes the salon treatments only, and you'll have to pay extra for a day pass to use the leisure facilities at the hotel. Spa days that include the use of the facilities are available Monday to Friday, but I am just not sure how well a "spa day" would work here, as the pool and the treatment rooms are so far apart.
What do you wish you'd known before you went?
I like the way they advise you in the brochure to bring along a pair of flip-flops so you don't smudge your new nail colour after a pedicure; this isn't something you would necessarily think of.
Any special features?
A good treatment. Something I felt throughout was that Nicki wanted me to enjoy my facial. However, the whole pool and gym area was tired and in need of the same sort of make-over they have given the brasserie. Here the hotel is not serving The Lilac Room well.
Who do you think would like it?
Spa lovers aren't going to love this place. The gym is in one place, the pool in another, so it doesn't offer an integrated spa experience. But local people and hotel guests looking for a quick pick-me-up treatment in a salon will enjoy the individual therapies on offer. There is also an 18-hole golf course in the grounds if you're interested in outdoor pursuits.
Why did you give the spa this rating?
We gave The Lilac Rooms 2 bubbles because they do beauty treatments well but they simply aren't a spa and we don't feel they should market themselves as one. (We were recently happy to hear from a reader in Norfolk who consulted our book before buying his wife a spa day and was pointed under our influence elsewhere - and spouse had a delightful time.) We would be interested to hear from anyone who has sampled a spa day here as we'd love to know how you got on.
Read more on how we rate our spas.
Would you go again?
I would look for better spa offerings in the area if I were staying nearby again.
We visited The Lilac Room in November 2007
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See also:
* Contact Details for Dunston Hall
* What do I do with my personal belongings while I'm at a spa?
* Can I drink alcohol at a spa?
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