Clarice House Spa Break

(Image sourced from Google Images)
As you saw from a previous post I recently went to a spa with my friend for a girly break. We chose Clarice House in Bury St Edmunds due to a fantastic previous pamper day there, and a fab offer that meant we saved £150 for the two night stay. They always have deals on throughout the year and I would definitely recommend it if you were seeking a similar break. Here’s what you can expect and my thoughts...

The house itself and the surroundings are beautiful. It’s a large manor house with a grand staircase, chandeliers and lush red carpet – they hold wedding receptions there too! Upon arrival we were shown to our room where our complimentary gowns and slippers were waiting, and our itinerary’s for the three days. We had a double room which was modern, spacious and clean (the only downside was that we had been situated above the kitchen and with breakfast starting at 7am, we had a *lovely* morning wake-up call).


Whilst there you have access to the pool, the Jacuzzi, the sauna and steam rooms, the gym and the classes. Having forgotten our trainers (totally not on purpose!) we were unable to participate in the gym classes so opted for water aerobics which was super fun and surprisingly a good workout! There are loungers surrounding the pool and you are provided with free towels but I would recommend taking a cushion or yoga mat as the loungers aren’t padded, leaving you feeling as though you’re lying on rocks!


The staff are so friendly and couldn’t do enough for you – one evening we had hot chocolates in the lounge (posh eh?!) and had this cute waiter following us round meeting our every need, bless him. And the food...I would go back again solely for the food, it was A-Mazing!! Our stay included breakfast, a two-course lunch and a two-course dinner for both days, and you pre-order from the menu before your sitting (at breakfast you order your lunch and at lunch you order your dinner). The menu was extensive but quite fish and meat orientated – don’t go expecting your average bangers and mash! What I did order was delicious but if I had stayed any longer, I would have had to repeat as there wasn’t anything else that took my fancy.

To give you an idea of what’s on offer, I had (and this is me ordering the most known, familiar dishes) a burger with chips, a trio of ice-cream (which I repeated THREE times during the stay(!), a tuna and cheese Panini, lamb shank and fish and chips. There was a great selection to choose from for breakfast too such as croissants, a full-English, cereal and yoghurt but I stuck with fruit salad and marmalade on toast.




The treatments: hmmmm...if you are a regular spa-goer you will be very impressed. The therapists are friendly (albeit no older than 18!) and you are treated well. However as much as I enjoyed my facial and full body massage, I couldn’t help but compare it to treatments I have had in a salon and realised that a spa treatment is a very different experience to that of a salon. You don’t receive the personal touch that comes with going to your regular therapist and it felt rather cattle-market-esque to me – one in, one out! I didn’t feel as relaxed either and for me personally, I like to lay and enjoy my treatment in silence but the young girl I had was practising the art of small talk. The treatments weren’t as relaxing and beneficial as I had hoped but I enjoyed them all the same as it was part of the girly break – and who doesn’t like being pampered?

So for three whole days we indulged in lovely food, lots of chat, and many hours spent lazing around the pool – a perfect escape from reality. Ooh and of course several episodes of SATC of an evening! It was simply heavenly. And my favourite part (aside from the food)? Living in a world where everyone walks around in slippers and a dressing gown all day without an ounce of make-up on. It was very refreshing and somewhat liberating!


Ps, apologies for the mammoth post - there was just so much to tell you!