One of the things that I tend to pride myself on is the ability to go all out on a budget whilst still indulging myself in ways that those with money can, and for a student budget I think that I manage to do this pretty damn well.
Perhaps the biggest way that I splash out for less is with the romantic side of things as part of a couple, with the odd spa getaway being a firm favourite. As you can probably assume, Valentines day was no exception.
My general rules of finding an amazing getaway are as follows:
1) Only go for one night.
It doesn't need to be far away, and one night is just as exciting as two - if not more
2) Narrow your search down to hotels that have spa facilities.
Many Hotel and Country Club kind of places have leisure facilities exclusively for members, and as a paying guest at the hotel you'll get free access to these facilities too. Think snazzy hotel with the added bonus of a steam room, sauna and jacuzzi pool. It helps turn an exciting night away into a pamper night, which really takes it that step further.
3) Be flexible with your dates.
Sometimes moving the night one day forward or one day backwards can save you quite a bit of money! Be wary of things like holidays and certain times of the year.
4) Search for inclusive deals.
It may sound like common sense, but it really does make a difference. Hotels always have their own bar and/or restaurant, and they usually have combo deals of dinner, bed and breakfast which can be available. Whilst it looks like it's expensive, believe me when I say that paying for everything separately when you get there will be at least £30 more expensive just for food alone.
DO THE DEAL.
5) Try something new.
One of the hotels that we went to was one under new management or ownership, and had reduced deals on to help boost reviews and get the reputation started. We managed to find a bed and breakfast deal with an afternoon tea thrown in for free (usually £20pp extra), and as my first proper posh afternoon tea I can safely say it was bloomin' lovely. Sometimes new experiences add a little extra something!
Now for Valentines me and the boyf went away for a night to Tortworth Court Four Pillars hotel, on a Dinner, Bed and Breakfast deal. We were planning on going for Saturday the 14th to a different Four Pillars Hotel, but it was all booked up so we decided to venture out a bit more. And for just one day earlier going on the 13th instead, I think we saved around £80? And it was still just as romantic!
To start off everything, Oli turned up with armed with a beautiful bouquet of flowers (with my fave pink roses), a not so soppy card, and a lovely bottle of champers to take with us. Super sweet, particularly as we chose not to do presents because Valentines falls bang smack in the middle of our 21sts.
The place itself was really grand - a massively grand country house, with a 'Welcome' Stone archway, and a three storey entrance hall surrounded by a spiralling staircase. Each room I'm assuming is different, judging by the decor and size/shape of rooms from the corridor, but I think this definitely added character, as our room was really nice even though I think it was probably one of the smaller ones they had.
They bathroom was your standard hotel toilet: nice, clean, well stocked with freebies. Basically everything I could ask for - particularly the bath as I'd already factored in time for using some of my birthday goodies from Lush!
[Catch of the Day]
[8oz Gammon]
The hotel had many different restaurants and food lounges within it, so you can tell that it caters for a lot of people, but that doesn't mean it scrimped on quality at all.
Sincerest apologies, but after a few too many glasses of champagne and vino I forgot to photograph the first two courses, and also the dessert, but I managed to remember the mains for you, dragging photographer Oli in to help.
At first, the waiters brought out a small board with bread and an olive oil/balsamic dip on it to keep us happy while they saw to others, which was perfect because it's one of my favourite nibbles - especially when it's complimentary! But we ordered the dill cured salmon with some form of coleslaw, and also the grilled sardines, which came with a side salad and homemade pesto. Both were absolutely gorgeous and so yummy, and of course we shared.
Feeling a bit too stuffed from all the previous birthday festivities of the week, I decided to stick with a fish theme, just because it's slightly less heavier than meat and I wanted to be able to push myself through all 3/4 courses because we'd already paid for it all. I ordered the catch of the day with seasonal vegetables, which happened to be Sea Bass when we went, and Oli ordered an 8oz Gammon with rustic homemade chips and a fried egg (there was the option for pineapple also). As well as enjoying my own, I tucked into Oli's too like a little fatty, and can safely say that both were super nice and up to a really high standard.
The pudding we shared, just because there was just no more room for one each, and even then we didn't finish it. But we had a brownie sundae which was fab even though we left half of it - eyes bigger than our bellies!
We finished the evening off with the Lush Heart-Throb Bubbleroon, as I'm sure many others did on valentines day! It had an amazing smell (that I can't really pinpoint anymore as I'd had a few at the time), but it turned the water a beautiful vivid red, and left our skin supersoft with specks of glitter.
All in all it was amazing and the perfect thing for romance to help mark our second valentines day. All in all it cost us £55 each, which when you think about it is an AMAZING price for a 3 course diner, bed and breakfast, AND use of their spa with it's sauna, steam room and jacuzzi.
Searching around really isn't that hard, and you can definitely impress for less!
Hope you enjoyed the post,
Alice x
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