Travel & Tourism

The countryside spa hotel with its own beach, outdoor pool, and beautiful lodge rooms

Float, freeze, and feast

Daisy Jackson - 2nd April 2026

Sometimes, you want a spa break that comes with blinding white walls and an ultra-modern aesthetic – and sometimes, you’d much rather feel like you’ve disappeared into a timeless countryside retreat.

If you’d much rather spend your day in a cosy countryside escape (where you just happen to float around in a robe all day) than a white-wall-whispering wellness lab, Ye Olde Bell Hotel & Spa might be the spot for you.

First thing’s first – the spa itself.

The standout here is Ye Olde Bell’s indoor-outdoor pool, where as you swim between rooms you bob along past air recliners, mini tubs, reflexology stations and water jets like you’re on some sort of slow, relaxing obstacle course.

Then suddenly, you’re outside, with blue skies overhead and a ‘Spa Butler’ wandering past to offer you a glass of fizz… and yes, occasionally, you are joined by a bit of very British hail (but you’re already wet, so what does it matter).

Inside, things get properly indulgent. There are three saunas to work your way through, each with its own vibe. You start gently in the herbal laconium, which has views of the pool from its wooden benches.

Then step things up in a stone bath setup that feels borderline medieval – think mineral coals lowered into a water bath by a mechanised iron bucket, releasing bursts of steam; and a wooden fan you crank yourself to push the heat back down.

A glass of prosecco in the sunshine — The outdoor pool at Ye Olde Bell

Then there’s the Alpine sauna, with full-on Swiss chalet energy, pine-scented and cranked up to a toasty 90°C.

Cooling off is half the fun. You can wander through an artificial snowstorm, complete with wind and lightning, or take the slightly less theatrical (but still bracing) shower walk with changing temperatures. And if you’re feeling bold? There’s a cold bucket waiting to humble you at the end.

Elsewhere, you’ve got a salt inhalation room, foot spas, and plenty of spots to just flop and do absolutely nothing.

The heated outdoor beds are a particular highlight – staff will tuck you in under blankets so you can lie there like a human burrito (if burritos drank rosé) while the crisp air does its thing.

If you want to level things up, there are extra experiences too, like a Rasul mud treatment where you lather yourselves in clay treatments before relaxing in a beautiful tiled steam room.

The lodges are two-storey self-contained homes

Inside one of the cosy lodges at Ye Olde Bell — The lodges are two-storey self-contained homes

Then there’s the hotel itself, which leans hard into that cosy, traditional charm. The lodges are basically your own little countryside homes, two-storey setups with leather sofas, antique wooden furniture, and bathrooms with roll-top baths and walk-in showers.

Food-wise, the spa menu is refined and light – crispy-skinned cod, rich chocolate and coffee ganache, and seasonal puddings like rhubarb shortcake.

Meanwhile, the main restaurant goes full cosy British, with a menu built around local produce from all three surrounding counties. Expect hearty, well-executed classics, like chicken ballotine chicken with buttery colcannon mash, plus traditional pies and steaks.