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Turning an away game into a spa weekend for him and her, football fan Mike Trewin and his partner Sarah visited Mercure St Paul’s Hotel and Spa in Sheffield with spa travel specialist Spabreaks.com.
So while Mike went to the match, Sarah (pictured above) got a chance to have time to herself with two hour long spa treatments…
Below is Mike’s review of a relaxing weekend in Sheffield.
My partner Sarah has had a few spa treatments before, but we have never managed to go on a spa day or break together, so a two night break at Mercure St Paul’s Hotel and Spa with Spabreaks.com was just perfect, especially as we have an 18 month old daughter, so there isn’t often the opportunity to relax.
Having thrown the bags into the room, we headed off for a walk around Sheffield for a little retail therapy and to explore, which helped us to unwind and really get a sense of just how convenient the hotel’s location is. We drove up, walked through Sheffield’s Peace Gardens outside the hotel, and checked in at about 2.30 in the afternoon. From the moment we arrived, the whole experience was incredible.
It’s glass fronted and has a buzzy vibe, filled with lots of different people - some going for dinner, some getting ready to go out. The Champagne bar is a really great environment for people watching (our favourite game). On our first evening we decided to take advantage of having a night away from our little girl, so we got dressed up, went to Champagne bar, had dinner and had a night out.
After that, we went out, and from what I can remember, we had a great time too! Great food, great wine, great service - we couldn’t have asked for more. Our waitress, Rachel, was the real star of the show - we asked her advice on where to go after dinner and she was extremely helpful. There was plenty of choice, but I had duck breast and Sarah had a mint and balsamic lamb rump (so of course we shared) - it was excellent. At dinner we had a choice of the a la carte or set menu, so we had a bit of both, which wasn’t a problem.
At breakfast they have everything you could possibly ask for, and having indulged there for a while, we went for a stroll for some fresh air before heading into the spa. The next morning we woke up quite early, I think we’re used to it because of our little one, so we headed for breakfast at about 8am and it was wonderful and quiet - we basically had the place to ourselves before everyone else woke up.
Our room was a Privilege Room on the top floor with floor to ceiling windows and a great view. So we sat in the steam room and worked out some of the hangover before laying on the sun beds by the pool and then returning to our room for a while and really making use of the space to simply chill out. The spa has lots of facilities - a steam, aroma grotto, ice igloo, sauna, experience showers and a pool.
Her facial was the best she has ever had and her therapist, Gemma, gave her lots of information beforehand about the products and her skin type, which she was really impressed by. While I went off to catch a train to watch the football in the freezing cold (0-0 draw in case you were wondering) she spent some time in the relaxation room (nearly fell asleep) before having a 70 minute facial and a 70 minute wrap back in the spa. She had never had a wrap before, and is now a complete convert (she has already booked her next one). At this point, Sarah started to get a considerably better end of the deal than I did.
She found a nice booth to people watch, and we really enjoyed soaking up the atmosphere before another great meal where we both opted for the ribeye steak with another bottle of wine. By the time I got back, Sarah was glowing, dressed up and heading back to the Champagne bar to wait for me while I got dressed.
It’s not often you go to a hotel and have nothing you think ‘they could have done that’ about, but everything from the location to the food, the design to the service was fantastic. On Sunday morning we had one last go in the spa before heading home, feeling thoroughly spoiled.
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