Aldwark Manor, Alne, York

10:00am Saturday 12th April 2008

Maxine Gordon enjoys a weekend of relaxation and pampering - just a short drive from York.

AFTER five days of slog, a weekend break at a luxury hotel is the stuff of dreams. But a long drive, or being stuck on a motorway, can dampen the joy.

Which is why choosing to spend a few days away not too far from home is sensible.

So it was that within a half an hour of leaving the office on a Friday night, my sister and I were pulling into the grounds of Aldwark Manor, the four-star hotel just 15 miles north of York up the A19. With an acclaimed restaurant, a spa and beauty salon, gym, and 18-hole golf course, this hotel pretty much ticked all the boxes.

At check-in, we made a reservation for dinner, then retired to our modern double room to prepare for the evening.

My sister, Yvonne, generously offered me the bathroom first, while she tucked into the complimentary tea and biscuits.

In the restaurant, we were impressed by the menu and wine list, both of which were fairly brief, but offered plenty of appetising choices, including pork, duck, fish and seafood.

Three courses are offered for £25.50, and two for £20, although half of the dishes on our visit had supplements of £2 to £4.

I enjoyed scallops with butternut squash purée followed by sea bass with crayfish and a seafood-cream sauce. Both were outstanding. Yvonne couldn't fault her mussels starter or her smoked haddock wrapped in bacon. Hot chocolate fondant and almond and cherry tart finished off the meal nicely, along with a lovely fresh and crisp bottle of New Zealand sauvignon blanc.

The next morning, I had an early start at the spa, with two hours of treatments at the adjoining treatment rooms. While Yvonne tucked into a serve-yourself breakfast, I had a manicure, facial and back, neck and shoulder massage with one of the hotel's therapists, Rachel MacGregor. She was young, but excellent, and it was the loveliest facial I have ever had. Rachel's lightness of touch and the luxurious ESPA products left my skin looking and feeling fresh and revived.

Yvonne checked in for an all-over body massage, then we met in the lounge area of the spa for a light lunch - a delicious spring vegetable soup for me and chicken Caesar salad for Yvonne.

After a leisurely read of the Saturday papers (a treat in itself for anyone like myself who has small children), we picked up fluffy robes and towels and headed to the spa. With its pool, tropical mist shower, ice-bucket drench shower, hot tub, steam room and sauna, we could have stayed there for the rest of the afternoon.

But we had a golf lesson booked.

To make it even harder to drag ourselves outdoors, the heavens opened. But when hotel golf pro Alastair Grindlay said we could have a ride in the golf buggy, we suddenly perked up.

On the green, he gave us each a seven iron, a dozen balls, showed us the intricacies of a golf grip and how to stand and swing, then let us have a go. My first attempt unearthed a large tuft of grass, but subsequent swings saw the ball fly high into the sky and head out far into the distance. We moved on to putting, and again were able to sink the ball in two or three hits at each hole.

"You are naturals," was Alastair's verdict.

After drying out over a caffe latte in the spa lounge, it was time to head back to York.

And with home less than 30 minutes' away, the thought of a quick and easy return journey was the perfect end to an idyllic weekend.

Fact file

* Aldwark Manor, Aldwark, Near Alne, York, North Yorkshire YO61 1UF. Telephone: 01347 838146* Prices for a midweek leisure break start at £125 per standard room per night, with dinner bed and breakfast (based on two sharing). Weekend breaks start at £155 per standard room per night. Rates are all subject to availability. Spa treatments can be booked separately. Green fees at Aldwark Manor range from £20 to £40 and golf lessons start at £35 for 40 minutes.

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