Review: Menzies Welcombe Hotel Spa & Golf Club, Stratford-upon-Avon

The red facade of the Menzies Welcombe Hotel Spa & Golf Club © World Travel Guide / Tina Banerjee

"Golf is a great leveller; everyone can relate to Tiger Woods," said the hotel's club professional Matthew Roberts as I thwacked my club at the white pimpled ball at my feet, only for it to roll languidly a couple of metres from where I was standing.

I frowned. Not long before, I'd checked into the graceful, Grade two listed, Jacobean-style, Menzies hotel and headed straight over to the clubhouse with naïve hopes of teeing off on the hotel's enticing 18-hole championship golf course. Matthew had taken me under his wing, and rightly steered me onto the driving range for a beginner's tutorial.

Encouraged by his theory that even novices could accomplish Tiger Woods' superlative efforts, given time, I studiously lined up ball after ball in an attempt to prove him right. I failed.

Nevertheless, views of the undulating fairways gave me a chance to appreciate the hotel's 63 hectare (157 acres) surroundings. Once part of the hamlet of Welcombe, the former farmlands fell into the hands of Stratford-upon-Avon's most famous resident, William Shakespeare, in 1602. The land passed to his daughter, and subsequently changed hands until eventually the present day house was built in 1866 by a Manchester businessman Mark Philips.

The mansion has since been graced by illustrious guests such as former US president Theodore Roosevelt in 1910 and the Queen in 1985.

Today's guests are far less notable but couples keen to sample its elegant, unpretentious English country house ambience will not be disappointed. The magnificient oak-panelled bar, with its staunch sage green leather chairs recalls a welcoming gentleman's club.The neighbouring oak-clad drawing room stuffed with inviting sofas begs you to linger and admire its period paintings, antiques and impressive open fireplace. During my stay, the lounge seemed to be perpetually busy as guests chatted and sipped afternoon tea.

The hotel's traditional theme continued in my huge four poster room (Charles Room). Striped wallpaper, floral overtones and green hues alleviated the spacious interior, while a large cream sofa in front of a curved bay window provided the perfect spot to soak up the springtime sunshine. There was plenty of wardrobe space, a large fireplace, and a TV, but surprisingly - no minibar. Thankfully, the staff were happy to oblige us by chilling our bottle of champagne. Meanwhile, the Victoriana-inspired tiled bathroom was as large as my sitting room back home.

In contrast to the hotel, its adjoining luxury spa housed in the former stables was a thoroughly modern affair. I was eager to check it out after scanning the Menzies hotel's spa brochure before my arrival - and discovered that it was even better than I had imagined.

Light, airy and surrounded by huge panes of glass was a blissfully warm level-decked swimming pool, offset by a Jacuzzi, heated loungers and foot spas (although two out of three of the latter failed to work). There were few others around, so it felt I had the pool all to myself.

Through a set of sliding doors was an outdoor vitality pool with invigorating power jets and a second Jacuzzi. It felt decidedly foolish to take an al-fresco dip on a cool March day but once I was immersed in the warm-as-bath waters, gazing at cornflower blue skies above my head, I felt practically decadent.

Equally beguiling as the pools were the several thermal rooms nearby, where I happily steamed myself to sleepy oblivion. Of course, it would have been rude not to have indulged myself further; my half hour back, shoulder and neck message (£30) was tension-busting nirvana.

With a range of treatments available, including those specifically for men as well as mums-to-be, plus the use of a lounge, well-equipped gym, yoga and exercise rooms, the Menzies hotel spa was undoubtedly one of the highlights of my stay.

The other was the food. Against a backdrop of smooth jazz music, we took our seats in the Trevelyan Restaurant, which has two AA Rosettes. Overwhelmed by the gargantuan choice of over 100 wines, ports and champagnes, we asked our friendly waiter for help, who recommended a bottle of superb Chilean Merlot.

Although the menu was limited for vegetarians (two choices for starters and one for mains), I plumped for a delicious, creamy mushroom soup to begin with, followed by a rich butternut squash and leek risotto. I didn't really have room for more but a curious peek at the dessert menu left me grinning with gluttonous delight - my warm treacle tart with praline ice cream was completely unregrettable.

The following morning, we took a walk around the hotel's ground, admiring its red-brick facades, neat Italian gardens and the lake twinkling at us from the golf course. Tiger Woods, I certainly wasn't, but a few more strokes on the driving range couldn't hurt.

Menzies Welcombe Hotel Spa & Golf Club
Warwick Road, Stratford-upon-Avon. CV 37 0NR.
Tel: (01789) 295 252.
Website: www.welcombehotelstratford.co.uk
Prices for four poster rooms start from £205 per night.
Dinner: £85 for three courses, including bottle of wine.