There’s something magical about Belfast during the holiday season, and spending it in a Gothic mansion perched within the Northern Ireland woodlands makes it all the more enchanting. Stroll through the charming Christmas markets in the city center, cozy up by the fireplace with a cup of tea (or an Irish whiskey cocktail), then set time aside for some seasonal spa therapy at Culloden Estate & Spa.
On the coast of County Antrim, Hastings hotels’ Culloden Estate & Spa sits amidst the Holywood Hills as a tranquil sanctuary just six miles outside Belfast city center. The property recently completed a three-year, $6.4m renovation, unveiling an enhanced spa with a new quiet room, nail bar and remodeled fitness facility. The refreshed Spa at Culloden includes eight treatment suites as well as two pre- and post-treatment relaxation rooms, a pool, Jacuzzi and eucalyptus steam room for unwinding during a serene spa day.
An elaborate spa menu encompasses massages, facials, body treatments, scrubs, hand and foot treatments utilizing ESPA products for treatments designed around overall wellbeing. Hair, nail and makeup services are also available, in addition to a Medi Spa offering anti-aging treatments, personalized health assessments and testing by Randox Health and the Room One Physiotherapy. Get in shape with an Aquafit class at the health club, or bounce back from a day on the nearby Royal Belfast course with a soothing Golfer’s Tonic treatment.
To relax in the spirit of the season, book the new All is Calm Winter Spa Experience — an 80-minute treatment designed to melt away tension and restore your body to its pre-winter-chill state. The experience includes a warming hot-stone back, neck and shoulder massage with ESPA clove-bud infused oil; ESPA regenerating ‘frankincense’ facial, with warm rose quartz crystals; and ESPA oriental scalp massage, with hair treatment.
Built in 1876 as a palace for the Bishops of Down, Culloden’s most sumptuous accommodation is, of course, the Palace Suite. Set in the garden wing of Culloden Estate, the 935-sq-ft suite overlooks the property’s verdant gardens out to Belfast Lough. The Palace Suite is adorned in purple, green and gold hues and features a king-size bedroom, spacious living room and dining area for up to eight guests.
Culloden Estate & Spa is located at Bangor Road, Holywood, Belfast, BT18 OEX. For more information, please visit hastingshotels.com.
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