A beautiful and central spa hotel in the city.

When it comes to having the mentality of “you work hard you deserve a treat”, I think God blessed me with a little extra. And as you’ll know if you have read my Trip CBD drink review, I don’t drink alcohol so when it comes to “treats” a nice bottle of wine isn’t on the list. I do LOVE my holidays, and I have South Korea booked for October. What do people that do not drink do when hey want to celebrate or have a treat?

Well ladies and gentleman, let me tell you about this wonderful place called, “The Spa”.

Last month, I visited the spa in Sherwood Forest Center Parcs, so if you are looking for an Aqua Sana Spa review, you can click the link and find out why I thought it was the best spa I had ever been to in the UK. That got me thinking. 6 months ago, had you have asked me which spa in the UK was my favourite, I would have told you unequivocally it is Lifehouse Spa in Frinton. Set in English heritage gardens, the building is modern and clean and built for purpose, which helps. But then again the Aqua Sana Spa at Sherwood Forest Center Parcs is also modern, and it’s set within the “great outdoors” which seriously adds to the chilled vibe.

It was then that I thought to myself, that’s IT. That’s going to be MY THING.  Dear reader, all in the name of science I am going to SPA. I’m going to be a sauna and steam Queen. You just watch me visiting spas this Earth has to offer. Then after that, I can write up reviews for this very lifestyle blog.

As it happened I was in the market for an overnight stay to have a bit of time to myself so started to look for spa hotels within the London area I come into on the overground service. Trust me, the little tick box that you check when you select a spa hotel in London goes up quite significantly in price.

There were a number of different reasons I ended up choosing the Leonardo Hotel & Spa in the St Pauls area of London, as well as the hotel and the view looking amazing. You have a lot of subtle little hints the hotel is going to be luxurious, like one that always stands out for me, getting a robe in the bathroom. If you go and have a nose around Booking.com as well, you’ll probably be quite surprised at the sheer amount of spa hotels in London. My choice is ALWAYS a spa hotel.

I don’t know abut you guys but I feel like check in times in general have got a lot later and check out times earlier. None the less, this hotel was so central and looked so nice, I wasn’t going to let an hour or two put me off.

Checking in was a dream. Dear readers in my younger years I have had plenty of nightmare Travelodge checking in experiences. Mostly due to the fact we were all out on the piss and were trying to get 18 people in one room in Birmingham without them noticing, but still, I have a bit of a phobia about checking in. There could be precisely one million pounds in my bank and I would STILL worry the pre-auth of the card wouldn’t work or something. The staff at check-in for the Leonardo in St Pauls were fantastic. They clearly explained where everything was, how to access it, what time breakfast was etc. Once I had the key to my executive rom on the fifth floor, she also mentioned that I could access the executive suite on the ground floor and get unlimited free drinks and snacks. Armed with my key card I took the lift and found my room. It was so big, there was an actual corridor that led to the room itself. The bed was huge and comfy, and the TV well positioned, but my favourite part of the room was the floor to ceiling window with a chair and a sofa in front of it and a view of St Paul’s Cathedral from the window.

There haven’t been many times I’ve been somewhere and the room is so nice I debate whether to go to the spa or not. However, if I didn’t, I wouldn’t have much to write about in the review. Before the spa I needed to pop to the shop for a charger, so I thought I would check out the executive lounge. Now let me tell you, if you haven’t sat in a posh hotel choking on a Malteaser while three Japanese businessmen look on, you have never lived. I didn’t venture in there again.

The Spa at the Leonardo St Paul’s only has the basics, but it is VERY luxurious. Initially, I attempted the swimming pool but it was pretty cold. But then again, there were loads of people swimming so I must just be a baby. I must admit, when you are used to the heat from frequent holidays to The Philippines you do tend to find anything else cold! The sauna and steam room were standard. I spent some time in each of them, and I had gone to the spa at a good time (6pm) when everyone was getting out and went for dinner. When I returned to the room I had no plans but to eat and sleep. You’ll read all about it in my next post but I have been really unwell and anaemic lately so this little trip was for me to rest. I showered and got in the big fluffy robe and ordered a pizza on room service and fell asleep watching Legend. In the morning I had every intention of going to the spa and then breakfast but neither happened because I was so engulfed in the comfy bed.

I’d highly recommend staying here, and I’d highly recommend not being lazy like me and making the most of the amenities.

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