Our check in was the standard 3pm so we pottered about for most of Saturday before braving the miserable weather. Upon our arrival to the hotel we were greeted by a red carpet which we assume was out for someone’s wedding. It was a rather nice touch though and I wouldn’t complain if it was a permanent fixture.
When we last stayed at the Norton House Hotel and Spa we stayed in the Edinburgh suite but this time, we went for the cheaper option (not that cheap mind you) and opted for the standard, classic room. The room was spacious and cosy and had everyhing you would need in a hotel. The bed was incredibly comfortable, the balcony was freezing and the TV in the bathroom was much appreciated. I also got a little too excited about the size of the showerhead (it’s huge!) but I did that last time we stayed too, simple things.
We had booked dinner in the Brasserie restaurant for 7pm – last time we were in the Ushers restaurant which was possibly a bit too fancy for our taste. When we showed up for our reservation we were the only guests there but it soon filled up. Who knew 7pm was early for dinner?
The Brasserie menu caters to us vegetarians with a good old 2 options – seriously I’m quite pleased with two options since some restaurants barely do one. I went for the tomato arancini and oh my goodness was it incredible. Admittedly when it arrived I did look at my plate and think “is this a starter” since it was such a small portion but I also had chips as a side order so I was happy. My other half went for the classic cheeseburger which came complete with bacon and chips. Apparently it was very meaty and I’m still unsure as to whether this is good or bad.
For once in my life I still had room for dessert so I went for something I’ve never had before. Yes ladies and gentlemen, I had a cheeseboard. How wonderfully dull of me! My other half did have the cheesecake though so at least one of us was having a proper dessert. While the cheesecake went down a treat (despite the consumer having a very full stomach) the cheeseboard was a bit of a hit and miss.
After dinner we returned to our room to find bagpipes were in full swing. The wedding the aforementioned red carpet was for was being held in the building opposite our room so the bagpipes were as loud as can be for us. They did stop but it was a rather strange thing to walk into a room to. I thought I was getting a patriotic welcome back!
The rest of our night was spent in a Lush Bunch of Carrots scented bath watching The Inbetweeners 2 before returning to our warm bed. I rarely get a good nights sleep in hotels but I slept like a baby at the Norton.
Being the lazy sods that we are, we chose to have breakfast sent to our room. We got a little too food happy and ordered pancakes, boiled eggs, toast, a fry up (for my other half), pastries, porridge, hot chocolate and orange juice. Annoyingly we didn’t notice the toast until after I’d finished the eggs so there was no egg and soldiers for me. Is it wrong to admit I’m quite sad about this?
The rest of breakfast however, was fantastic. The hot chocolate was the perfect temperature and chocolatey enough without being sickly and the eggs were exactly how I like them. I was hoping I would get the same pastries as our last visit but sadly, it wasn’t mean to be. The 4 jars of jam were appreciated though.
Checkout was at 11am but we weren’t leaving at this point. We had booked in for a massage so off we trotted to the spa. We visited the spa during our last stay but I found the pressure of that massage to be a little too much so this time, I went for the light pressure. I cannot even begin to explain how amazing the massage was. My other half and I had a full body massage each and I think we were both incredibly relaxed and smelling awesome afterwards.
After our hour session we nipped into the steam room, sauna and hydrotherapy pool for a few hours. I haven’t been in a sauna since I had a Turkish bath at the ripe old age of 8 and I had forgotten how ridiculously hot they are. I know that sounds weird but I much prefer the temperature of steam rooms to saunas; it doesn’t hurt to breathe so much in a steam room as it does in a sauna.
By about 2 o’clock we were resembling human prunes so we dried and dressed ourselves before leaving the spa and a great weekend behind. Going to the Norton House Hotel and Spa was such a random decision but it was a lovely treat. I imagine it won’t be long before we return, I think my other half and I may love the place a little too much. We can go back next weekend right?
P.S. Apologies for the poor food photos; I haven't quite got the hang of photographing food in bad lighting yet.
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