Relax in Kent

Re-charge mind, body and spirit

Hassled? Jaded? Overworked? It’s surprising how quickly your world view can change: a walk in captivating countryside and suddenly your pace of life slows; a gourmet meal in a Michelin-starred restaurant and your senses burst into life again; a day pampering in a spa and your limbs and spirits become magically lighter. Have that change of scene in Kent.

It’s a wonderful feeling, dining in an exquisite restaurant, chatting over a pint in a village inn, or simply eating fresh fish-and-chips beside the sea. While away an hour or two browsing a farmers’ market and for the evening, what could be more charming than the intimate 15th-century weaver’s cottage setting of The West House, Biddenden or Read’s Restaurant with Rooms in a Georgian manor house near Faversham. 

Retail therapy in Kent is exactly that – a feel good activity with the added bonus that the vibes last when you take your purchases home.  Imagine, a whole unhurried day at Bluewater devoted to grazing the fashion rails and must-have labels or spend a morning in Canterbury’s Whitefriars shopping quarter, home to over 70 famous name stores, then the afternoon digging around in specialist shops in the city’s medieval side streets. 

Sometimes, nothing short of complete pampering of mind, body and spirit is what you need to revitalise.  Where better to start than with some pure ‘me’ time at the Royal Day Spa in Royal Tunbridge Wells, which brings the town’s therapeutic traditions bang up to date.  And do stay to soak up the atmosphere of this elegant town: at the boutique Hotel du Vin, you can now avail yourself of in-room treatments. Or book into The Spa Hotel, an 18th-century country mansion with luxurious purpose-built health and leisure centre.  Eastwell Manor, near Ashford, it’s bliss when your most difficult decisions are whether to swim or lounge in the sauna, to boost your energy flow in the gym or have every whim met in the Dreams beauty and therapy salon.

So relaxing, so close, so Kent.