Packing for a spa break - the things I was glad to have brought along

I recently enjoyed a wonderful spa break at Champneys Forest Mere with my family. It was my first experience of a spa break and so I spent a lot of time researching what I should pack! So I thought I'd share some of the things that I'm glad I had along with me just in case it is helpful to anyone else (and also a few extra things that it would have been nice to have).

The things that I'm glad that I packed:

Two swimming costumes. I packed a sporty swimsuit for swimming laps and a tankini for relaxing in the spa and sauna areas. Although the tankini wasn't ideal for jacuzzi pools as it kept riding up in the bubbles!

Extra tea bags. There were a few tea bags in the room but I'm glad I packed a couple of different flavours.

A couple of bottles of fizz. We were spending time together as a family and it was nice to have a bottle to enjoy in the room.

Snacks. A couple of my treatments were late morning or late afternoon and I was glad for a couple of biscuits to prevent my tummy rumbling!

A water bottle. There were drinks stations around but they only had tiny pointy cups. I was glad of my water bottle when I was spending time relaxing by the pool or in the lounges.

Slippers. We visited in winter and although the room was warm I did enjoy having some cosy slippers to wear in the evening.

A hair wrap. I seemed to spend a lot of time with wet hair so it was more comfortable to be able to wrap it away. The atmosphere was casual enough during the day that I could have worn in to breakfast or lunch.

My running kit. Outldoor trainers, a running belt and headband. Unfortunately we only had one dry day, but it was lovely to be able to get out and about for a run through the forest.

A mini bag to hold my phone and room card when going for meals.

A small tote bag for taking a book and water bottle to the pool area.

Lots of books. I didn't actually read as much as I thought I would, but I felt happy leaving a book in my tote bag around the pool area while I was swimming or using the spa rooms.

Smarter clothes for the evening meal. I didn't dress up too much but it was nice to wear something a bit more dressy after a day in a dressing gown or swimsuit.

Things it would have been nice to have:

An extra swimming costume. Luckily we had a radiator in the room so we were able to dry our swimwear, but otherwise I would have been putting on a damp swimming costume the next day despite having brought two with me.

Something to do in the evenings. I was staying with family so we socialised in the evenings but the rest of the hotel was deserted. If I had been staying on my own I would have appreciated something to occupy myself, maybe a craft project or an iPad to watch. 

Some extra snacks. Personally I found that the food and drink was mostly sufficient, but for someone used to eating larger meals some extra food might be enjoyed!

Things to check are included in your spa break stay:

Flip flops to wear around the pool - these are a definite must have, so remember to pack if they aren't included!

A robe for relaxing in and wearing to treatments.

Towels, not just the hotel room towels but extra towels to use around the pool.

I hope that this post was useful for anyone that is planning what to pack for a spa break!

Food and drink at Champneys Forest Mere - what is included, menus, photos and timings

UPDATED JANUARY 2025

Following a recent stay at Champneys Forest Mere, I found that I needed to update the below post, as some things have changed quite a bit. Here's what is different:

The breakfast buffet was very similar to before, but I didn't see a smoothie and there was no hot porridge on offer. Any hot food was chargeable from a separate menu.

Lunch is now just served as a buffet. There was a soup with bread, a few salads and some warm food including pasta and some meat and vegetables. There was a reasonable selection but it could get a little crowded at busy times. It was also mostly the same food every day.

We stayed for three nights so we had dinner included on three evenings. Previously there were two menus in rotation, but on this occasion there was only one menu so we had the same choices every evening. On our last evening we were upgraded to eat in the Mere Restaurant which is a little more formal and I think usually for people staying in the suites. Our dinner here included a very small glass of Prosecco and a tiny smoked salmon amuse bouche. Although a nicer setting, the service here was very slow and we spent a long time waiting around for our food. It took us over two hours to get through our dinner. 

It was a shame that the menu was the same every evening, as although there was a range of choices, based on our previous experience we were expecting a different menu on at least one evening. 

Overall I did feel that the selection of food wasn't as good as on our previous visit, and there has definitely been some cost cutting going on. Also the food portions are not huge - we appreciated the extra biscuits and snacks we had brought along!

One afternoon my Mum treated the four of us to a hot drink and a cake in the cafe one afternoon, and while this was very tasty it came to over £35 which seems excessive. 

ORIGINAL POST

Before my recent spa break at Champneys Forest Mere I was really interested to find out more about the food that would be on offer. The Champneys website wasn't very helpful, and so I thought I'd share some of my experiences with the food - what was included, timings, photographs of the food that we tried and also some photos of the menus. I hope that it is helpful if you are planning a stay at Champneys Forest Mere! Scroll to the bottom to see a few menus.

We stayed at Champneys for three nights and so our stay included three breakfasts, two lunches and three dinners. There is additional food and drink available to purchase in the café during the day and there is also a kettle along with tea and coffee in the hotel rooms, as well as plenty of drinking water stations.

For breakfast and lunch dining you are welcome to wear casual clothes, including your robes and flip flops, but for dinner the dress code is smart casual. When we visited all our meals were served in the same restaurant.

Meal times do need to be booked in advance. You can book your first meal when you arrive, then you can book a meal or two ahead each time you arrive to eat. We had no problems booking the slots that we wanted. We were given the following timings - Breakfast 7.30am - 10am, Lunch 12pm - 2pm and Dinner 6.30pm - 8.30 pm however the restaurant did in fact open at 6pm for dinner. We usually ate early so it wasn't very crowded, but later slots seemed to be busier. It's worth arriving a few minutes early to avoid a queue when you arrive to check in for a meal.

The only included drinks with meals were still or sparkling water, apart from at breakfast when there was juice available. If you want something more interesting to drink (including alcohol at both lunch and dinner) then that will cost extra at bar prices that I would say are on the expensive side. 

Breakfast

Breakfast was served as a buffet with lots of cold choices, if you want a cooked meal then that is at an extra cost. There was a selection of healthy cereals, fruit and yoghurt, a bread station with different breads, spreads and a toaster, along with juice, tea and coffee. One morning there was a smoothie available, and you could also request a generous portion of hot porridge as an included choice. 

Lunch

Lunch was served as a sit down meal with starter and a main, with a dessert station with three or four small desserts to help yourself to. Sometimes there was a bit of a wait for the desserts as they disappeared quickly - they were admittedly quite small and so lots of people were enjoying more than one! We found the lunch menu was definitely as filling as a main meal. The only dessert that wasn't a hit was the vegan chocolate mousse (bottom right) which didn't taste of chocolate at all! The other desserts were much nicer, and don't let me put you off the vegan chocolate torte on the dinner menu which was delicious! The soup of the day for a starter was always a vegetarian soup of some kind and was very good.

Dinner

Dinner was a slightly more formal meal, with larger portions than lunch. Some of the meat, the more indulgent dessert and the cheese board cost extra. It seemed that they alternated menus, so we had the same menu for the first and last night of our stay. There were also a few dishes that were repeated on both menus.

I enjoyed all of these meals. The samosas (top left) and the halloumi Caesar salad (top middle) were particularly good. The only one that I wasn't keen on was the vegan plant burger (centre) as it was too 'meaty' for my liking, I'm not keen on meat replacements that taste like meat. But everything else was delicious! All the meals had plenty of garnish and were well presented. They were large portions but not too big, and it was a good opportunity to try out some different foods that I wouldn't prepare or eat at home. I've never eaten so many pumpkin seeds in my life!

I tried to take some photos of the menus so that you can see the different choices and what is included with the cost of a stay.

Champneys Forest Mere Lunch Menu One:

Champneys Forest Mere Lunch Menu Two:

Champneys Forest Mere Dinner Menu Two:

Champneys Forest Mere Dinner Menu Three:

We were all very pleased with the range of food on offer. Admittedly we are mainly vegetarian and not big eaters. I could imagine that if you are used to eating more meat and larger portions then you might not find it as satisfying. But as part of a health conscious break then I found that it was perfect (and of course there is nothing to stop you bringing your own extra food and drink to enjoy in your room!)

We enjoyed trying out some new things and found plenty of interesting choices. Additionally the service in the restaurant was very good with plenty of helpful staff, and plates were cleared promptly. All in all we had an excellent dining experience on our spa break at Champneys Forest Mere!

Thanks to my family members for help with the photos!

A relaxing spa break at Champneys Forest Mere

Last week I was lucky enough to enjoy a fantastic three night stay at Champneys Forest Mere Health Spa. My Mum very kindly treated me, my sister and sister-in-law and we all had a wonderful time. As well as being a nice relaxing break it was also a lovely opportunity for us to all spend some time together.

I've had a couple of spa treatments over the years but this was my first spa break, and I really loved it. It was a great chance to get away from my daily life for a little while, enjoying a change of environment with some lovely company. I thought I'd share some of my thoughts in case it's helpful to anyone else thinking about a Champneys spa break!

The room

As a group of four we had two adjacent twin rooms. The rooms were clean and large, with plenty of space for the four of us to spend time together in the evenings. We had a lovely view out over the grounds including the lake and outdoor swimming pool, and the room was always quiet. There were tea and coffee making facilities and toiletries provided. 

Things to do

There are plenty of activities included as part of your stay which can be booked either the day before at a small cost or on the day for free if there is space. There are also some activities that cost extra, for example yoga and meditation. You can view the activity schedule on the website before your visit to get an idea of what is on offer - the classes range from low intensity stretch classes to higher intensity circuits and HIIT classes. There are also short guided walks around the local area.

I had intended to go for a run on the footpaths nearby but I was advised that the suggested hiking routes were very muddy (wellingtons were available if you fancied a walk!) Instead I took myself down the single track road leading from the resort to the main road. It was about 4k return and was a lovely run past the lake and through the trees. There are also bikes available to borrow. For a change or if it's raining there is a gym with the usual gym equipment and weights.

If you want a less active time then there are plenty of places to sit and relax both indoors and out. There is the large swimming pool area with saunas, hot tubs and so on. Around the pool there are a couple of peaceful rooms set up with waterbeds where you can read or sleep. There are also a couple of lounge areas, including the café with food and drink available to purchase and the piano room with beautiful views across the lake.

Treatments

My Mum very kindly let us choose three treatments each which were wonderful! My first treatment was the Champneys Spa Heaven Cocoon where I was exfoliated all over, moisturised, and left to rest on a heated bed while my feet and my head were massaged! I was a bit nervous about taking off my clothes but it was all very discretely managed. I did struggle with the paper pants though - I couldn't work out which way round they went!

Then I had the Champneys Radiance Renewal Facial which was amazing. It was so relaxing, with a face mask applied and then some kind of heavy blindfold while my scalp was massaged. It really was fantastic and I felt so chilled out afterwards. I finished with a Champneys Manicure which was again very good. My favourite part was the heated mittens which I was left to sit with for a little while, and it also included a hand massage.

Food and drink

I've written about the food and drink in a lot of detail which I'll be sharing here on the blog shortly. We were really impressed with the food available, there were lots of healthy choices and interesting things to try. It was very different to the sort of food that I eat at home as I tend to go for simple meals without too many ingredients, and it was a real treat to be cooked for! We did take our own drinks and nibbles to enjoy in the room together during the evening, but we could have managed without as we all found the food very filling.  

If you are looking for a spa break then I can definitely recommend Champneys. I know that it's not cheap, but it's worth looking out for special offers as they come up throughout the year, especially for a less busy time or mid-week. You'll usually have to pay extra for any treatments but as long as you keep an eye on the other extras (the more indulgent food, alcoholic drinks, a trip to the shop and so on) there is plenty included in the cost of your stay. I'm hoping that we will have the chance to return soon!

Thanks to my family for some of the photos!