We all know getting a good night’s sleep is essential for one’s well-being, yet we still try to skimp on it to get endless chores squeezed into the day.
Sleep is not a luxury, yet we deem it so because we have let it drop down low in our list of priorities. So I was really delighted to be given the chance to take a truly luxury trip to the Hanbury Manor Marriott Hotel & Country Club in Hertfordshire for their “Ultimate Sleep Experience”.
Hanbury Manor is set in 200 acres of picturesque parkland in Ware, has teamed up with Duxiana Beds to offer you the very best night’s sleep. And it doesn’t just stop at the bed – the experience is extended with the Lumie Bodyclock Iris to allow you to work with natural light, and a Rajeunir moisture serum to help keep skin pumped up and radiant. The collaboration between all components, it’s believed, helps to engineer a great night of sleep.
You always know you’re in a lap of luxury when you enter the grounds through a winding tree-lined driveway. That is exactly how you get to this Jacobean style country retreat with 161 bedrooms and suites, an 18-hole golf course, and a spa and leisure club.
Our room was in the quietest part of the hotel (just as well for the purpose of this trip!) with superb views stretching over the golf course. The platter of fruit and Hanbury Ale were greatly received upon our arrival, as were the L’Occitane toiletries and fluffy bathrobes in the bathroom. And of course, the most advanced Duxiana 818 bed. A quick investigation of this massive bed revealed three separate mattresses of varying sizes.
It has nearly four times as many springs than the average bed and a unique Pascal cassette system where the sleeper can decide whether they want it soft, medium or firm. Even the special Duxiana Xleep Pillow had coils inside it to support the head and neck. I had never seen such a big pillow before I arrived.
Duxiana beds were born in 1924 when Swedish chocolate maker Efraim Ljung visited Chicago and indulged in a great night’s sleep thanks to the bed’s flexible string steels. Upon his return, he decided to construct something better. Today’s advanced beds offer support for the lumbar which you can adjust individually for each side, as well as to offer any pain relief.
I made myself familiar with the Lumie light on one side of the bedside table and the Rajeunir moisture serum on the other. The alarm clock can be programmed to wake you up with a mist of aromatherapy oils, rather than the beeping sound of an alarm. The serum can be used on your face and neck both day and night as a quick way to revitalise.
I had a good few hours to exhaust myself before bedtime, so I decided to explore my surroundings. Hanbury Manor is full of character with great views both from inside and out. There are lots of comfy lounges and reception rooms and plush seats dotted around to have a rest whenever it takes your fancy. It even has its own vaulted chapel! The indoor pool is lovely, and opens out onto the gardens complete with sun loungers. The gym is split into two areas – the weights room and the cardio. I made the most of all three during my stay as I not only wanted to eat great food, but wanted to be tired enough to appreciate my sleep experience.
A drink on the terrace of the Pommery champagne bar was awesome as the sun was shining. In fact, my mum and I decided to have our meal outside too to take advantage of the warm weather well into the evening. The Oakes Grill at Hanbury Manor is perfect for dining both inside and outside on the terrace. The food was as fresh and organic as you can expect. The scallops, hake with green beans and salad, triple-cooked chips and pistachio and raspberry almond cake all went down a treat. Enough for me to want to lie down in a recovery position on the bed.
And sleep I did like a log. This is no exaggeration either. My day before was just as hectic – if not less so than normal – so I was tired. But I still find myself getting up a few times in the night. I have never slept on three mattresses before, and it was a really great sensation. I didn’t “sink” into the middle of the mattress. The bed just seems to mould into you. It was also great to wake up to the Lumie clock – no shrieking alarm clock. I was apprehensive that it wouldn’t wake me up in time, but with breakfast being served until 11 am, I was not exactly pressed for time. Of course, with some reviews you need to trial the product for longer, but as a first experience, it was a great one for me.
Breakfast, like dinner the night before, was equally amazing, with a number of choices, and most importantly, fresh produce. Once again, with the sun shining, it was an obvious choice to take breakfast onto the terrace with another chance to take in the splendid views. Another walk in the grounds, and a quick ten minute lazing around on the Duxiana 818 before packing up my stuff, it was time to leave. I was well rested and ready to take on the weekend ahead.
Hanbury Manor and Duxiana Beds
For more information about the DUX 818 and other Duxiana beds, visit www.duxiana.co.uk.
For further details on the Hanbury Manor Marriott Hotel & Country Club, visit www.marriott.com/hotels/travel/stngs-hanbury-manor-marriott-hotel-and-country-club.
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