Buxton Crescent: The Epitome Of Five Star Luxury

Nestled in the heart of the beautiful Peak District and surrounded by the UK’s oldest National Park, Buxton is home of Buxton Water and the equally beautiful Buxton Crescent.

Derbyshire England Five Star Food & Drink UK

Editor , 16th March 2024 / 156

Buxton is famous as a thermal spa town boasting stunning ornamental gardens and world-famous Georgian and Victorian architecture. It’s an impressive backdrop to a rich and vibrant music, theatre and festivals scene. And where would you stay that matches the grandeur of this beautiful town? Well, if you’re going all in, then in our humble opinion, there can only be one destination: the Buxton Crescent.

The Crescent, as it’s affectionately known locally, was built for William Cavendish, the 5th Duke of Devonshire, as part of his scheme to establish Buxton as a fashionable Georgian spa town. Completed in 1789. The Crescent is a sublime sanctuary for those that appreciate natural health and the benefits of spa bathing. The architecturally significant Grade I listed building reminds us of the beautiful Royal Crescent in Bath. It is equally gorgeous.

The Buxton Crescent is the first UK property from Europe’s largest health spa operator – Ensana. It’s well worth checking out their website – they have some stunning spa hotels around Europe. The Crescent really is the epitome of luxury, comprised of 81 rooms and the spa is home to three pools and eight treatment rooms, with water wellness at the forefront of the hotel’s offering.

High up on the edge of The Peak District National Park, Buxton is a gateway to this area of outstanding natural beauty, contrasting rolling farmland, forests and deep valleys with high stony plateaus – there are many adventures to be enjoyed in this mesmerising part of England. When we stayed, on one day, we awoke to eight inches of snow and the town echoed with the joyous sounds of children building snowmen and racing their toboggans down the slopes of the park – very picture postcard. It was made all the more special because of the suite we were staying in.

Our Junior Suite on the second floor was simply gorgeous, with its four poster and duck egg blue, roll-top slipper bath reinforced the feeling of luxury. The stately interiors are complemented by modern staples – good size smart TVs with YouTube available, and complimentary Wi-Fi throughout. If you were concerned about parking, rest easy, there’s valet parking and your vehicle is merely a telephone call away.

Having watched the forecast, we had toured the local area prior to arrival. We’d visited beautiful Bakewell (yes, home of the famous tart and pie), and the extremely pretty Ashford-in-the-Water, another chocolate box village which wouldn’t have been out of place in the Cotswolds. The countryside here is stunning. It’s pretty and everything feels quintessentially English.

Back at The Crescent, we simply had no real need for a car. Everything we wanted was to hand. They have a great bar – we spent some time there (cough). We enjoyed a couple of very relaxing spa treatments (Thermal Mud Treatment and Underwater Jet Massage), both were superb. We dined in the restaurant – the food was five-star, as you’d expect.

On the snowy day, we trudged a mile to Poole’s Cavern and enjoyed a thoroughly informative hour-long tour. What an amazing eye-opener. Our guide Robin made it particularly interesting. Afterwards we enjoyed a lovely coffee looking at the birds and squirrels at the feeders in front of the window. It was quite magical.

On our last evening, after a sensational early dinner, we headed for the Buxton Opera House for the Transatlantic Sessions. It was superb and the opera house, like The Crescent is utterly stunning. It is Council owned but run by a dedicated team of volunteers. If you visit The Crescent, I recommend you take in a show. It’s fabulous. We must confess when it came to depart, we were very sad to say goodbye.

The staff at The Crescent are quite exceptional and a real credit to Manager Jonathan Dawson. Indeed, as if to remind us how good this hotel is, up popped a Facebook post announcing that their spa had been awarded the prestigious Five Bubble Luxury Standard by the Good Spa Guide. A class act indeed.