Get the five star treatment, five minutes from home

If you can’t afford to splurge on a holiday this 'summer' but you badly need some R&R, look no further than the nearest five star hotel.

Hayfield Manor has played host to some of the biggest names ever to visit Cork, and the five star treatment in their spa, the aptly named Beautique, does them justice.

The hotel’s tiny spa is located just off the main reception but in an area so serene that you’d never believe it was part of the main building. There’s a small swimming pool, a beautifully decorated reception area and a number of treatment rooms. Unusually for a spa, it is decorated in an antique French style and not in the ubiquitous modern wood and marble you see everywhere. It really makes you feel like you’re being treated, with gorgeous, luxuriant flock wallpaper and sympathetic lighting.

The Signature Treatment at Beautique begins with a foot cleanse and soak, with a back and leg massage. After a long week with lots of driving, this was exactly what I was after, and the massage didn’t disappoint. A quick chat with my therapist, Susan, ensured the massage pressure was perfect for what I needed.

Once the back massage is finished, you move on to a facial using fabulous products from Elemis. A skin analysis is done, and the therapist spotted straight away the various issues I have with my skin and recommended the right products.

Having had quite a few facials, I tend to dread them because I invariably break out afterwards. Not this time though; my skin has been satin smooth since, and not a break out or dry patch to be seen. For once, a facial that is not only enjoyable, relaxing, and luxuriant, but that actually does the business as well. It's a long procedure, and after the massage it's hard not to snooze - but that's all part of the relaxation. That's my excuse anyway. 

For half a day of lounging in the pool, treatment at the hand of a therapist as good as Susan, and some reading time in the relaxation area, the €120 cost is well worth it. Forget about the week away you can’t have, and aim for this. You won’t be sorry.