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L'Horizon Hotel & Spa, St Brelade - 3 bubbles
Single Spy was invited on a flying visit to this dainty little spa in St Brelade, Jersey. L'Horizon has got possibly one of the best views from a Jacuzzi in the UK, excellent treatments, and a good pool and heat rooms. It's more health club than spa, though.
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?
Any special features?
Who do you think would like it?
Why did you give the spa this rating?
Would you go again?
First impressions?
The hotel is in an enviable position on the centre of St Brelade Bay. It's low-key from the outside but very elegant on the inside.
How did they welcome you?
I pitched up at the reception desk to enquire my way to the spa. The staff seemed far too busy running a hotel to have any time to deal with guests. I cast around and found a sign pointing to the spa, then confirmed with a member of staff that I really was on the right track. I walked through the lounge and along a glass corridor to the small spa reception desk, which was deserted. I didn't spot the sign (I did later) that asked me to ring the bell for assistance. I was too busy checking out the menu of The Brasserie, adjacent to the spa, and taking note of the various salads, soups and sandwiches on offer. After a few minutes, Jane turned up. She welcomed me, assessed the size of my suitcase (I had come straight from the airport) but advised that the locker would be big enough to accommodate all of my travelling possessions.
What happens next?
Jane took me through to the changing rooms, which are small and divided into two areas. There are banks of metallic lockers, a bench to put things on, and a separate area towards the back, past the mirrors and hairdryers, where there are three showers. My locker contained towel, robe and slippers, and plenty of space, as advertised. I met a very pleasant health-club member while I was changing, who said that the health club was good value and that the gym, though small, suited her. She enjoyed being able to use the sauna and steam room after her workout before going out into the cold air (and it was very cold that particular day) She also liked the gym because it was never crowded and a Muscle-Mary-free zone. Fully apprised of the gym situation, I was now wearing my swimming costume and robe.
Unsure where the pool might be, the health-club member pointed me in the right direction - back through the door I had come through, and to the right. The mosaic-tiled 20-metre pool is in a reasonably large and very light area, surrounded by glass walls between the pool and the hotel on the internal side, and large windows looking out over the baby on the outside. The pool was set up with a cordoned-off area for serious swimmers and six poolside loungers to relax on afterwards. As it is a hotel pool, you may find yourself sharing it with families and children. The water felt a little chilly at first, but I soon warmed up and enjoyed a half-hour swim. It was an odd feeling to watch men in suits with mobile phones on the other side of the glass wall, marching up and down and probably doing currency deals while I was disporting myself in a bathing suit. But that is probably an epitome of Jersey: money and leisure. At one end of the pool is a raised area where there is a steam room and a sauna with a shower between. The shower is a little out of the way, and not easily spotted on your way from the changing rooms, which doesn't encourage people to shower before they plunge in, which is a shame.
The steam room was large enough for five or six people comfortably, and nicely hot, but had a cold draught around my feet, caused by the door not actually going all the way down to the floor. I remedied this by putting my feet on the black marble seats. The sauna was also hot, but had a similar cold draught problem, so it was time to lift my feet up to the wooden benches. After showering in the poolside shower - the water strangely comes at you sideways - I walked to the opposite end to the Jacuzzi. This is actually quite tricky to get in. The control to switch it on is at the bottom of some steps. You press the button, then go up the steps, but the water is now frothing away like a mini volcano, so it's actually hard to see where the steps inside are, to get yourself in safely. The plastic surround isn't quite as pristine as it could be, but what the Jacuzzi does best is give you a view. You'll have to switch to one of the higher seats if you're not very tall (ahem), but you can sit in bubbly foam, gaze at the bay, where the weather seems to change every minute, and feel very pleased with yourself. And I didn't have to share it!
After I had gazed at the bay for long enough, I went back to the changing rooms to shower off the chlorine. The showers each had a metal container bracketed to the wall, with no label on it, so I wasn't sure what it was. Wash? Shampoo? The tears of a baby dragon? Sadly, it didn't matter too much as all three containers were empty. I popped out, hopped over to the handbasins, and slopped some wash into my hands and hair from the dispenser there. No conditioner or moisturiser is often a feature of health clubs, so here L'Horizon errs on the health club rather than the spa side. There was a spindryer, but it wasn't working, so I had to drop my very wet costume into a plastic bag. After all the hopping about, I was running past my treatment time so my therapist, who turned out to be another Jane (Jane II), came into the changing rooms in search of me. It's such a small spa, there weren't many places I could be. Jane II took me the short few steps to Sandalwood, one of the two treatment rooms tucked in between the spa reception desk and the changing rooms. It's a comforting and cosy room, with just enough room for a therapist, a bed, a sink and a product trolley.
Which treatments did you have?
I had chosen reflexology (45 minutes, £47), and a Thalgo cold marine facial (55 minutes, £47).
What were the treatments like?
Both were very good. Reflexology: I love having reflexology - I float out of the room afterwards. Jane II had a nice touch, and I felt myself relaxing already. I was happy not to talk and just let myself drift. Jane II diagnosed me with stomach problems afterwards, but I think she was just picking up on the fact that I was hungry! The Thalgo cold marine facial: This facial had lots of lovely scents and textures. There was a revitalising mist, cold and damp. There was a bracing menthol exfoliator. There was an extremely cold marine mask. I found the facial deeply relaxing, and snuggled down under the velvety covering, which is unusual in a spa, but was very soothing. Sadly, I was prevented from relaxing completely because of the noise from outside, where a petulant toddler was making his presence felt. The two treatment rooms are really in a corridor, so there are people coming and going at random.
How did you feel afterwards?
Afterwards, my skin felt fresh and smooth. Any dryness felt supple and moisturised: and the reflexology was still having its effect. The combination of treatments was a top-to-toe treat.
What happens afterwards?
I have no idea. There is no relaxation room, so I guess people get up and go. I would have gone to the Brasserie but it was winter and it had shut after lunch. I went for some fresh air with a walk up and down along the prom (with thanks to the cheerful Sam for storing my possessions) then got in a taxi. (At which point the reception staff redeemed themselves, calling the cab quickly and with unfailing politeness.)
Was it worth it?
The treatments are very reasonably priced, and I have it from a good source that the health club is very good value, too.
What else could you have?
L'Horizon offers a range of Thalgo face and body treatments, including a micronised algae body wrap, hot stone therapy, sports massage, Indian head massage, collagen facials and treatments for mums to be. You can also have waxing (for men as well), manis and pedis, and lash and brow tinting.
Any special features?
The view. St Brelade is one of Jersey's most scenic bays and the spa is best placed to make the most of it.
Who do you think would like it?
Anyone staying in the hotel. Conference delegates who are running away. Locals looking for a health club experience with some treatments as a treat.
Why did you give the spa this rating?
We gave L'Horizon 3 bubbles because the facilities are limited and the amenities in the changing rooms were in need of some attention. The one thing that lifted L'Horizon out of the 3-bubble arena and into 4-bubble territory was Jane I and Jane II, who were attentive, friendly, and delivered effective treatments. L'Horizon definitely has the feel of a health club, with a hotel swimming pool and some treatment rooms attached, rather than a dedicated "spa". I thought it was interesting that I never filled in a health consultation form while I was there - a must at most spas.
See more on how we rate the spas.
Would you go again?
I'd quite happily become a health-club member if I lived or worked nearby, and I would definitely call in for a treatment if I were staying in the hotel.
We visited L'Horizon in December 2008
Like the sound of this? You're in luck.
Follow this link to book a special spa offer at L'Horizon with our partners lastminute.com
See also:
* Contact Details for L'Horizon Hotel & Spa
* Our Spa Spies review Thalgo products
* What is Reflexology?
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