Rain didn't put Fiona Whitty off the most perfect of Welsh breaks

As my beauty therapist Lilly gently moved warm Himalayan salt rocks around my back, I closed my eyes.

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But as I let my body slip into relaxation mode I was jolted awake by a piercing honk. Then another. And another.

Lilly giggled as she felt my muscles tense. "I'm so sorry," she whispered. "That's Percy. He gets very excited when the sun comes out."

Bleary-eyed, I conjured up an image of a lazy gardener with a throat problem who abandons the lawnmower for a sunlounger whenever the weather picks up.

But Percy, it turns out, is the resident peacock at one of North Wales' newest hotspots, the Marian Resort and Spa. And, boy, does he let you know it.

Percy's honking aside, my 60-minute hot-rock relaxing massage at the Serenity Spa aptly summed up our stay at Marian - a glorious mix of pleasure, leisure and rest. It was utter bliss.

The Marian Resort and Spa, which opened just last year and is a short drive inland from the popular seaside resorts of Rhyl and Prestatyn, has fantastic facilities that can also up the pace when needed.

My husband Tim and I plus three of our kids - Freddie, 16, Rosie, 19, and 22-year-old Max - made the most of the well-equipped gym and wide selection of fitness classes, with a gruelling circuits class, bums, legs and tums and a soothing yoga session proving particular hits.

Daily dips in the large indoor pool - with floor to ceiling windows inviting in wonderful views over Denbighshire - followed by a chill on the soothing heated loungers also went down well.

We stayed in a sumptuously sized "luxury" lodge with an en-suite, a spacious lounge/diner and walk-in shower in the main bathroom. The large private hot tub was an added, and well-used, bonus.