Macdonald Berystede Hotel & Spa

Serious about your fitness? So is the Macdonald Berystede Hotel & Spa. Whether you’re already a self-confessed gym bunny or are considering restarting your regime after a break, friendly staff are on-hand to help you reach your full fitness potential.

Called Vital Health & Wellbeing, the gym is kitted out with the very best Life Fitness equipment, with free-weight and cardio zones, as well as a stretching area. You can also track your progress from the Life Fitness Connect app.

Add some variety to your workout with a group exercise session. There are low-intensity options like yoga or high-energy cardio sessions from Les Mills. They’re a fantastic way to get fit and have fun with friends.

But if you thought visiting the gym was all hard work and rough towels, think again. Here, fitness, first-class service and luxury go hand in hand. Where else could your post-workout routine involve a delicious, nutritious lunch on a sunny terrace, a relaxing massage or a sauna?

Ultra-indulgent spa breaks need ultra-indulgent food to match. Luckily at the Macdonald Berystede, you’ll find the food is as fine as the spa treatments! 

Acanthus Restaurant

This AA-rosette-awarded restaurant serves delicious modern European cuisine in elegant and contemporary surroundings. Enjoy your dinner with a side-helping of beautiful views. Large windows afford a breathtaking backdrop of the hotel’s landscaped gardens, while the dining room centres around a pretty ornamental tree.

Royal Enclosure Terrace & Gardens

Time for a sundowner? The Royal Enclosure Terrace provides the perfect suntrap for a cocktail or two, with views over the beautiful grounds. There are shady spots if it gets too hot. The terrace is open from April to October, depending on the British weather.

Diadem Bar & Wentworth Lounge

When it’s time for a nightcap, there’s no better place than this cosy bar. Sink into a leather sofa and sip a whisky or signature wine from the cellar, or get the bartender to mix you something fruity. 

It sure does. There are 18 glorious metres to swim in, so it’s ideal for lengths, laps or a spot of aqua aerobics. The pool area has plenty of natural daylight and fantastic views of the grounds.

The hotel has more than 120 rooms, with categories ranging from Standard to Suites. Here on a special occasion when only the best will do? Book a room in the turret. Turret suites have four-poster beds, separate living and dining areas and gorgeous garden views.

Yes, the hotel is fully accessible. Accessible bedrooms have extra space, wet rooms, handrails and reachable alarm facilities. The spa has a hoist into the pool, along with accessible changing rooms and treatment rooms. 

Check-in is from 3pm and check-out is at 11am.

Have a day at the races! Ascot Racecourse is the home of Royal Ascot, the ultimate stage for the best racehorses in the world. But it also plays host to a wide range of smaller race meetings, plus the course is a popular venue for concerts, conferences, banquets, exhibitions and parties throughout the year.

It’s just over a mile away, so about a 20-minute power walk. Ascot is really pretty with a high street filled with boutique shops, restaurants and independent stores, so it’s well worth the effort.

Yes. Family rooms and complimentary cots are available on request, there’s a children’s menu to keep the well-fed and watered and children can blow off steam in the garden.

Children under 16 can splash about in the swimming pool between 9am and 11am and between 4pm and 7pm when accompanied by an adult, but they can only use the indoor pool.

The big draw for kids has to be Legoland, just a 12-mile-drive from the hotel’s front door. Older thrill-seekers will love the rides at Thorpe Park, just a 20-minute drive away. The Harry Potter Studios and Windsor Castle are also within easy reach.

Sorry - no pets allowed, although guide and service dogs can stay for free.

There’s not a golf course on-site, but the Berystede Hotel & Spa does offer golf break as it’s partnered with nearby Pine Ridge Golf Club, a 12-minute drive away. Enjoy 18 holes of championship golf on undulating greens with year-round playing conditions.