The perfect Bath at Babbington
29 October 2007Okay, so Babington House is about two hours' drive from London, 20-30 minutes from Bath and hidden behind what may be Somerset’s thickest hedgerows. However, at the end of the grand driveway is a beautifully proportioned Georgian manor-house in rolling grounds.
As you enter the house via the huge white door, the urge to explore the 28 bedrooms becomes irresistible. The bedrooms have huge beds with soft pillows, white sheets and lots of cushions complemented by wooden floors, oversized chrome lamps and a huge plasma screen TV with CD and DVD player (if the screenings in the private cinema don't lure you).
The bathroom has a walk-through shower with a stainless steel head the size of a large dinner plate and is extremely well stocked with Babington’s handmade Cowshed products, all being 100 % vegetarian and made using hand-picked herbs from the walled garden at Babington. There is a Cowshed product to suit your every mood and need, from a morning body wash to a calming bath and massage oil with cow themed names such as Grumpy Cow, Stroppy Cow and Wild Cow. Another thoughtful touch is a little wooden trolley containing mostly anything you might have forgotten to bring on your trip.
Fitness fanatics are well catered for with an onsite gym, mountain bikes with suggested cycle routes, walk maps, tennis courts, cricket and croquet equipment and for those less energetic moments there is a walled garden to spend time in.
The Cowshed residents spa is a little way from the main house. You walk down a path to the separate building, where there are two all year round pools, a 15-metre indoor pool and 18–metre warm outdoor pool. Next to the indoor pool are sauna, steam, and aroma rooms with the Cowbar close by that serves juices, smoothies, tea, coffee and home-brewed vodka.
Babington House offers an extensive list of spa treatments, so I don’t think guests will be seat warming for long. The treatments available include massages, body treatments, beauty packages, facials, salt rubs, aromatherapy and reflexology. There are even specific male treatments offering anything from a back wax to a wet shave. If you are having a treatment, your therapist leads you down to your personal log cabin with windows overlooking woodland and the great news is that the therapists generally work in silence resulting in a very peaceful, enjoyable treatment.
