Two spas in Sussex have been named among the best 50 in the UK. Ockenden Manor in Cuckfield and South Lodge, near Horsham, were included in the list compiled by The Times. Lime Wood Hotel in Hampshire was the publication’s overall winner and South East England spa of the year.
Of Ockenden Manor The Times said: “Turning into the narrow lane, lined with Tudor timber-framed cottages, that leads towards Ockenden Manor — on the edge of Cuckfield village — it is hard to believe that you are just five minutes from the decidedly less pretty commuter belt station of Haywards Heath. Read more: The best-rated secondary schools in Brighton and Hove according to Ofsted “The manor itself is as contradictory as its surroundings. Think of it as a hotel in two parts: an Elizabethan manor with traditional-style rooms and a restaurant, plus a standalone, ultra-modern spa block with contemporary suites.
The charm here isn’t just Ockenden’s tucked-away but easy-to-get-to location, but that it’s privately owned. As one of three hotels in the Historic Sussex Hotels group, its reputation rests on warm service, innovative treatments and being an important part of the community for residents too.” The Times also praised South Lodge, a neo-Jacobean mansion with “lush” gardens.
“The stand-alone retreat has 4,000sqm of state-of-the-art ways to get a glow, from flower-powered facials to spin classes and (heated) wild swimming, all wrapped up in lawns that tumble languidly into the .