Swish hotel's a treat to be savoured at your leisure

SOMETIMES - but not very often - my expectations are exceeded from start to finish. This certainly happened when I stayed at Homewood on the outskirts of Bath.

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Maybe I would have been less surprised by what was to come if I had done my research; the boutique hotel with 31 rooms was featured in last year's Michelin guide, and has a 4* AA rating, with two AA rosettes for its food offering.

Driving there on a Friday afternoon, I got to the luxury country house hotel frazzled. I left Bristol late, there was traffic and I got there with just a few minutes to spare before my treatment was due to begin. Great, what a start.

However, within minutes of entering the luxurious site, I could already start to feel all the stress melt away.

My time at Homewood, located in Freshford, started with a spa treatment in their little hut.

Amy was so attentive, friendly and caring. She truly listened and responded to what I asked for, personalising the treatment.

With only one treatment room on site, this made it feel even more special and, by the time I leave the hut, all that tension has left my body and I feel so relaxed.

With my friend not due to arrive for another half hour, I asked whether our room happened to be ready - and I was in for a double surprise. It was ready an hour early, and we had been upgraded to one of their suites.