The Wells

Had a Spa day with a friend yesterday. We decided to pamper ourselves at The Wells Spa at the Brooklodge hotel in Macreddin Village in Co. Wicklow.

We couldn't have picked a better day for it. Pure blue skies the whole day added to the holiday feeling.

We had chosen the Brooklodge hotel purely based on the website. Neither of us had heard of it before, except for the Strawberry Tree restaurant, which apparently has got quite a good reputation.

We had a wonderful day, after a strange first impression - the central area where you wait for your beauty therapist is a bit like Grand Central Station, not just for pool and spa customers and staff, it would seem. While we were waiting there, in our de-rigueur white robes, three men went by. They looked like the Marbella set - jeans and navy blazers, and probably sockless loafers. And we looked like hookers waiting to be picked up.Or so it felt anyway! We were not impressed when they went by again a few minutes later. They probably had just checked into the hotel and wanted to have a look at the pool. But still...

Our treatments were excellent - I had a back massage and a foot massage in the morning and a facial (which included a back massage and an arm massage) in the afternoon. The treatment rooms were cosy, if a little dark, perfect temperature, and there was even an electric blanket to keep you warm! The therapists were very good, friendly, discreet, and with a soft/strong touch. Perfect for the job. The products they use are Decléor, which I like a lot.

After our treatments, we were given a glass of water and taken into the "chill room", a quiet warm spot with loungers, blankets, candles and soft music. We nearly fell asleep after our facials in the afternoon. They even had individual headphones, just in case there was a gang of ladies chatting (which there wasn't) and you wanted peace and quiet. Nice touch.

We made use of the pool area after our morning treatments - the pool isn't big, but it's very nice - there are various areas where you can enjoy bubbles of all sorts. We tried the steam room - small but very comfortable, followed by a cold shower. There is also a sauna, jacuzzi, outdoors hot tub, heated seats and a floatation room. So much to do. We couldn't try it all, as lunch was awaiting us.

I had a prawn cocktail open sandwich with a salad and fried sweet potatoes, followed by a chocolate fondant, vanilla ice-cream and chocolate sauce. My friend had the crab claws and a big slice of apple pie! All declared yummy. The food was served in a conservatory, and we even got to sit outdoors for a little while, as the sun was beaming down on us.

While the changing room and shower area is quite small, it was clean, with individual lockers.

The setting of the hotel in the middle of the mountains is absolutely gorgeous. When you come in, there is a big floppy dog sleeping around the foyer, a cat lurking in the gardens and a few hens hanging about the back. With the sunshine, it all looked beautiful.

We had a lovely day. It wasn't cheap, but the service was excellent, except at the end, when I asked the lady at the spa reception if she had any gift bag or samples (I had bought a couple of expensive products after all, and there was a poster in the changing rooms advertising a gift bag with Decléor oils or other Decléor products), and she made me feel like I was beeing naughty for asking. When I said to her that I just love the goodies, her reply was an egnimatic "Don't we all", and she then moved on to another customer. It didn't spoil my day, but I probably won't be hurrying back.