Date of stay Saturday 10th - Sunday 11th December.
After complaining about our unsatisfactory experience at Lifehouse Spa back in September, they offered us a complimentary stay with all meals paid for and a free massage each too! So obviously we accepted their offer and managed to squeeze in a visit before Christmas.
Our train journey there was much smoother this time and we arrived just after 1.30pm. I'd asked for the complimentary taxi to pick us up from the station and the driver, Brian, arrived a few minutes after we'd got off the train.
When we arrived at the spa we noticed that they had changed the arrangement of the reception area as there used to be lots of different desks, so you weren't really sure who you were supposed to talk to. They had obviously taken note of people's feedback and tried to make the checking-in process much slicker. We were served by the same girl who checked us in last time and it was much faster than before. You can't check into your room until 3pm, so we went and had a hot chocolate in the Strawberry Tree.
After we'd settled into our room, we went and used the jacuzzi and sauna. The spa was a lot busier than the first time we came, but then again it was a Saturday. Steve said the wet area of the spa wasn't as nice as the one at the Alexander Hotel (I didn't use the facilities there as I was busy having treatments), but when I said "Is Lifehouse more like a public swimming pool?" he said that was a good description.
Anyway, we were more interested in the food, but our dinner reservation wasn't until 8.30pm! For lunch we'd only eaten a couple of sandwiches from M&S during our train journey, so we were absolutely starving and we regretted not bringing any snacks with us. I caved in and went to reception to ask if there was anywhere I could buy some snacks and they said they only had chocolate or rice cakes in the Strawberry Tree. So I paid £3 for 2 small bars of Green & Blacks.
So onto dinner. The restaurant was very busy but the service was quite good. Our waitress remembered to tell us what the specials were, but they had run out of the duck starter which was a bit disappointing, especially as they no longer had the duck main course that we'd tried on our first visit. In fact, the whole menu had changed, which was actually a good thing as it meant we got to try new things.
Apologies in advance for the poor photos. I used my smart phone and the restaurant was quite dark so I had to use the flash, but they didn't all come out very well, especially the main course photo!
For the starter we both opted for the partridge as we'd never tried it before. We both agreed that it was nice and the taste was a cross-between duck and chicken. The pan fried part was a little bit dry but the confit was good. I don't like the taste of aniseed so I didn't think I would like the beetroot & fennel salad, but it tasted fine. Unless they forgot to add the fennel, which wouldn't be surprising as they had forgotten to add the honey walnuts but we only realised this omission afterwards!
For main course we both had the Chicken, which is surprising as we don't normally like chicken breast as it's usually quite dry and tasteless, but this was unbelievably moist as we think they'd poached it (Steve said he thought he could see the marks on the chicken from where it had been wrapped in plastic). Steve said this was the best chicken he'd ever tasted and if I could cook it like this then he'd be very happy! The mushroom lasagne was disappointing as it was quite cold and the potato foam on top wasn't that appealing either. We saw a few people sending their dishes back to the kitchen, but we don't know what they didn't like about their food. We fancied some seasonal vegetables, but after finding out they were brussel sprouts and chestnuts we changed our minds and just had some market potatoes, which are just boiled new potatoes and nothing special.
For dessert we both had the fondant and as you can see it was really runny in the middle and I actually prefer it to be a little bit more solid, but that's just my preference. I couldn't actually finish it all as it was so rich, but the peanut butter ice cream was gorgeous!
Overall we enjoyed our dinner, but the fact that we were both immensely hungry did increase the enjoyment factor!
Our massages were booked for 9am the next day, so we only had a very light breakfast. I had a croissant which was cold and tasted a bit stale and some fruit salad. The last time we visited you could order different items from the hot cooked breakfast menu and the food was freshly cooked. But they have now changed this to a buffet so you had no idea how long the food had been sitting there - who likes rubbery scrambled eggs? So even though the hot breakfast was included in our stay, we didn't go anywhere near it. It's a real shame they have changed it to a buffet and for the high prices they charge they really should go back to cooked-to-order.
The massages we had were house massages and we got to have them together in a double treatment room. My masseuse was very good and asked me straight away if the pressure she was using was hard enough, but Steve's only asked him after massaging him for a little while.
Our lunch was booked for 1pm, but we were both getting hungry and the restaurant was empty at 12pm so we asked if we could have it earlier and they said it wasn't a problem. Our lunch included 2 courses, so we both opted for a main course and dessert as we didn't fancy any of the starters.
Steve had the salmon as his main course, which he did enjoy but he wasn't that keen on the citrus emulsion.
I had the plaice which was beautifully cooked and it was the first time I had tried kale and it was very good. It doesn't have an overpowering flavour and the texture is more interesting than spinach. Unfortunately both our main courses had been liberally scattered with sea salt, so each mouthful was tainted by a crunchy, salty bitterness. They provide salt on the table, so the heavy-handed addition by the chef is completely unnecessary.
For pudding we both couldn't resist the sticky toffee pudding, but we were both disappointed. The sponge of the pudding had a decent texture, but lacked flavour as there was no hint of the taste of dates. I found the toffee sauce a little bit sweet, but I generally do find things too sweet for my palate.
Overall our stay at Lifehouse Spa was much better the second time, but we wouldn't go back again if we had to pay. One reason is that it is too far for us to travel to and I think there are better spas closer to home.
After complaining about our unsatisfactory experience at Lifehouse Spa back in September, they offered us a complimentary stay with all meals paid for and a free massage each too! So obviously we accepted their offer and managed to squeeze in a visit before Christmas.
Our train journey there was much smoother this time and we arrived just after 1.30pm. I'd asked for the complimentary taxi to pick us up from the station and the driver, Brian, arrived a few minutes after we'd got off the train.
When we arrived at the spa we noticed that they had changed the arrangement of the reception area as there used to be lots of different desks, so you weren't really sure who you were supposed to talk to. They had obviously taken note of people's feedback and tried to make the checking-in process much slicker. We were served by the same girl who checked us in last time and it was much faster than before. You can't check into your room until 3pm, so we went and had a hot chocolate in the Strawberry Tree.
After we'd settled into our room, we went and used the jacuzzi and sauna. The spa was a lot busier than the first time we came, but then again it was a Saturday. Steve said the wet area of the spa wasn't as nice as the one at the Alexander Hotel (I didn't use the facilities there as I was busy having treatments), but when I said "Is Lifehouse more like a public swimming pool?" he said that was a good description.
Anyway, we were more interested in the food, but our dinner reservation wasn't until 8.30pm! For lunch we'd only eaten a couple of sandwiches from M&S during our train journey, so we were absolutely starving and we regretted not bringing any snacks with us. I caved in and went to reception to ask if there was anywhere I could buy some snacks and they said they only had chocolate or rice cakes in the Strawberry Tree. So I paid £3 for 2 small bars of Green & Blacks.
So onto dinner. The restaurant was very busy but the service was quite good. Our waitress remembered to tell us what the specials were, but they had run out of the duck starter which was a bit disappointing, especially as they no longer had the duck main course that we'd tried on our first visit. In fact, the whole menu had changed, which was actually a good thing as it meant we got to try new things.
Apologies in advance for the poor photos. I used my smart phone and the restaurant was quite dark so I had to use the flash, but they didn't all come out very well, especially the main course photo!
Pan Fried Partridge, Confit Leg, Beetroot & Fennel Salad, Honey Walnuts
Suffolk Chicken Supreme, Open Mushroom Lasagne, Truffled Potato Foam, Olive Oil Crisp
Warm Chocolate Fondant, Peanut Butter Ice Cream, Caramelised Almonds
Overall we enjoyed our dinner, but the fact that we were both immensely hungry did increase the enjoyment factor!
Our massages were booked for 9am the next day, so we only had a very light breakfast. I had a croissant which was cold and tasted a bit stale and some fruit salad. The last time we visited you could order different items from the hot cooked breakfast menu and the food was freshly cooked. But they have now changed this to a buffet so you had no idea how long the food had been sitting there - who likes rubbery scrambled eggs? So even though the hot breakfast was included in our stay, we didn't go anywhere near it. It's a real shame they have changed it to a buffet and for the high prices they charge they really should go back to cooked-to-order.
The massages we had were house massages and we got to have them together in a double treatment room. My masseuse was very good and asked me straight away if the pressure she was using was hard enough, but Steve's only asked him after massaging him for a little while.
Our lunch was booked for 1pm, but we were both getting hungry and the restaurant was empty at 12pm so we asked if we could have it earlier and they said it wasn't a problem. Our lunch included 2 courses, so we both opted for a main course and dessert as we didn't fancy any of the starters.
Herb Crusted Loch Duart Salmon, Beetroot Puree, Glazed Carrots, Golden Beetroot and Citrus Emulsion
Pan Roasted Plaice on the bone with Curly Kale, New Potatoes and Garlic Butter
Sticky Toffee Pudding with Toffee Sauce and Clotted Cream.
For pudding we both couldn't resist the sticky toffee pudding, but we were both disappointed. The sponge of the pudding had a decent texture, but lacked flavour as there was no hint of the taste of dates. I found the toffee sauce a little bit sweet, but I generally do find things too sweet for my palate.
Overall our stay at Lifehouse Spa was much better the second time, but we wouldn't go back again if we had to pay. One reason is that it is too far for us to travel to and I think there are better spas closer to home.
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