Nestled in the leafy village of Knutsford in Cheshire is the four star Cottons Hotel and Spa. They offer all kinds of day and stayover packages at the hotel but their latest collaboration is with award winning English sparkling wine producer Nyetimber and it includes at least four of my favourite things; food, wine, spa treatments and a big comfy bed.
Coming along with me to eagerly review Cottons Hotel and Spa and their Nyetimber package was my husband Niall and our three year old son Kobie. They are both very harsh judges so I knew they would be nothing but thorough in their feedback. Read on to hear our thoughts on everything from the fluffy robes to the yummy breakfast…
Accommodation
We were booked into a Signature family room which had a pull out sofa bed for Kobie and a double bed for ourselves. The decor was modern but cosy and even with three of us plus Kobie’s many jigsaw puzzles, the room still felt quite spacious. There were a few nice touches waiting for us when we got up to our room which were much appreciated; half a bottle of Nyetimber Classic Multi-Vintage wine chilling in the fridge, a kids fun pack with a carton of Cawstons apple juice and a Choc Dip for Kobie, and a family set of fluffy white robes and slippers for the spa. The toddler sized slippers were the sweetest little things I’ve ever seen!
Spa Treatments
The first part of the Nyetimber package is a 25 minute spa treatment each. Spa’s and toddlers don’t typically mix well so I wasn’t sure how we were going to work in the spa treatments whilst taking care of a toddler but the very efficient reservations and spa teams had managed to find a schedule that worked for everyone.
Once changed I headed down to the spa for my treatment – a massage with hot stones as an added extra – whilst Niall stayed in the room with Kobie. My spa therapist Ruby was so friendly and made me feel instantly relaxed and at ease during the consultation. I don’t know why I waited so long to try a hot stones massage because it was absolutely incredible! I wasn’t really sure what to expect so it took me a good while to realise that Ruby wasn’t massaging me with some sort of hot oil/exfoliation concoction – that was just a hot stone in her hand! It really heightened the senses and completely elevated the massage so I would 100% recommend going for this add on if you can. I’m not sure I can ever go back to just a regular massage now!
After the treatment Ruby gave me some frozen grapes to snack on which was a really a nice touch and something a bit different to your usual!
Then it was a quick dash up to the room to swap with Niall who, after my rave review, also decided to go for the hot stones massage. This time with a lovely spa therapist called Jade. Aren’t Ruby and Jade the most perfect spa therapist names! As a rugby player Niall very rarely gets the pressure he needs to both relax him and get rid of any soreness in his muscles so often opts for a sports massage which we all know is not relaxing in the slightest! Jade was really attentive and made sure she increased the pressure until she was satisfied he was happy with it and then finished the treatment with some much appreciated cooling balm. He said it was the best massage he’d ever had!
Dinner and Drinks
After the spa it was time for our dinner reservation. The package includes a £30 dinner allowance each (Kobie was additional to this) and a pre-dinner cocktail in the bar. I went for a refreshing Bramble Berry which was delicious after a hard day spa-ing! The hotel is very relaxed and dog-friendly which makes for a great bar vibe and Kobie had a lovely time petting all the dogs before we went through to the restaurant.
Our friendly server Holly took us through all the different menu options and after a lot of mulling things over we opted for garlic and mozzarella flatbread and tempura prawns to start, sirloin steak with béarnaise sauce for Niall, a cheeseburger in a rosemary focaccia bun for myself and a mini fish and chips for Kobie. The food was absolutely delicious! We were really impressed with every dish but the prawns were our favourite; they were so juicy you could tell they were super fresh and the wasabi yoghurt, pickled ginger and fennel really complimented them. I could eat them again now just thinking about it!
Kobie is such a picky eater but he wouldn’t let Holly take his plate until he’d cleared all the fish and chips off it! If that’s not a seal of approval I don’t know what is. After all that I had just enough room for a pudding so went for the sticky toffee with date puree, butterscotch sauce and vanilla ice cream, and ended up having to bat the boys away from it when it arrived it looked that good.
Spa Facilities
Eventually we rolled ourselves back to our room for a big sleep before a spot of swimming in the hotel pool the next morning. We went down at around 8am and it was nicely busy with a few people doing lanes and others just chilling round the pool or in the hot tub. They have a huge full-length (and most importantly, heated) main pool with a shallow pool for kids next to it, a steam room, sauna, and indoor and outdoor jacuzzi’s. The spa has a really relaxed, friendly vibe to it and I could definitely see myself coming back with a book and having a nice (toddler-free) chilled day by the pool sometime.
Breakfast
Once back on dry land we went down for breakfast. Cottons’ breakfast menu is incredibly extensive with as many continental items as you’d like and a cooked option to go along with it, all brought to your table with fresh juice and hot tea or coffee. They even have breakfast smoothies and cocktails on the menu! I always think table service for breakfast is a classy touch as too many hotels offer breakfast buffets only and the experience just isn’t the same so this was a really pleasant surprise.
I eventually decided to go with a couple of delicious pastries and a stack of American pancakes with maple syryp and berries. Niall had a ‘Northern breakfast’ which included Lancashire black pudding and a pork sausage wheel, and Kobie had a mini cooked breakfast. As par the course for Cottons, the breakfast was amazing and was definitely more five star than four in my opinion.
After the restaurant manager gave us some parking tips for Tatton Park (it’s only a three minute drive away from Cottons!) we gathered up our cases and headed to check out. As the final part of the Nyetimber package we were given a beautifully presented 750ml bottle of Nyetimber with two glasses to take home and a TEMPLESPA gift set full of mini’s from the spa.
Overall thoughts
The Nyetimber package was ideal for us as it covered everything we could want from a hotel stay as well as lots of additional extras for us to enjoy at home. We waited for a sunny child-free evening so we could enjoy our bottle of wine in peace in the garden!
For us, what really made our stay was the service. It was the little things like the cleaners taking the time to say good morning to Kobie in the corridor and the big friendly welcome when we got when we came down for breakfast. At every step Cottons felt fully inclusive of kids from the mini robes and slippers and kids hours in the pool, to the pre-made fun packs and milk re-fill stations on each floor. If you’re a parent away from home you’ll know the only time you can fully relax is when you know your kids are happy and accommodated for so Cottons definitely ticked that box for us. We would 100% stay here again either as a family and to escape to as a couple!
Score: A well deserved 9/10!
Claire is a Cheshire girl, mum to one and wife to one. She’s also creator of the blog KoKo & Cub which houses tried and tested how to’s (and some how not to’s) as well as general thoughts and musings on everything from OOTD’s to planning a last minute wedding.
