When it comes to picking gifts for your friends and family you can never go wrong with an experience. Think relaxing spa trips, a meal for 2, a weekend away or for the more adventurous, indoor skydiving or flying lessons.
Enter the fab folk at Buyagift.
They have a whole host of experience-based gifts in varying price brackets which you can buy in the form of a voucher – perfect for last minute shopping too.
There’s the option of picking a specific experience or you can give your friend a little more flexibility with a Smartbox – this voucher comes with a booklet filled with all the different experience options within that genre. It’s a thoughtful gift while allowing the recipient to pick something they really fancy.
About a month ago an email landed in my inbox from the lovely folk at Buyagift. They wanted to treat me to my very own experience day. I ended up opting for the Luxury Pampering spa day for 2 at the Mecure hotel which also included a treatment each and lunch – £99.
I picked this because we have a lovely Mecure hotel right here in the centre of Sheffield. It’s actually the first place we stayed when we first visited for Phil’s work. We’ve enjoyed staying with the hotel in other cities too so it only seemed right that we finally try out their spa.
It had been ages since Phil and I did anything together, we’re both always so busy with work and life. I thought this would be a relaxing treat and some time to finally catch up with each other.
Booking in for our spa day was really easy. I simply called up the Mecure when the voucher arrived (we could have gone to any Mecure but went with the Sheffield one), quoted the voucher code, selected our treatments and picked a date for our spa day. Despite booking in the run-up to Christmas there was a lot of flexibility with date options. I was really pleased with this but would always recommend getting your experience booked in as soon as your voucher arrives, that way you can make sure you get the dates you want.
We arrived mid-morning so that we could make the most of the pool.
On arrival, you’re equipped with a cosy towelling robe, slippers and a towel, so there’s no need to bring anything other than your swimming costume with you. Speaking of which, I picked out a new maternity costume by Speedo for the occasion. I plan to go swimming a lot more throughout my pregnancy so I thought it would be a wise investment.
The changing rooms were clean with lots of locker space, 2 cubicles as well as toilets and showers.
I love swimming and couldn’t wait to get straight into the pool. There were only 2 other people in the pool and we even had half an hour where it was just the two of us. We got a lot of swimming done which felt really good.
The blue mood lighting gave the room a calm and relaxing atmosphere, just what we needed. Around the outside of the pool were comfy chairs and pool loungers.
As I’m pregnant I couldn’t use the sauna, steam or aromatherapy room which was a shame, I find they do my skin a lot of good. Phil was able to go in and enjoy them and because it was so quiet he found that he had them to himself. The rooms are just a few steps away from the pool which makes accessing them very easy. Phil said that each of the rooms were very clean. He liked the sauna the best and popped back in a few times during our day.
It was really quiet and relaxing during our time in the spa. There were around 5 other people in there at the same time as us. The atmosphere was perfect for a day of relaxation but not too quiet that you felt like you couldn’t chat. We did a lot of swimming and caught up about everything we’ve both been doing over the last few months.
I have to point out that the walls could do with a freshen up as it was a little rough around the edges but overall the spa was really nice.
Our treatments were booked in for 1:30pm. By then we’d spent enough time swimming and chatting that we were ready to take our relaxation to the next level.
We were in separate rooms which were both equally beautiful. They were dimly lit with calming music and had a lovely soft scent of oils floating in the air. Phil opted for a back massage and I went for the Indian Head massage. Our treatments lasted around 40 minutes which was just right.
We were both really happy with our treatments and plan on going back again. I’m keen to try out their Mother To Be package next time.
We then had the option of spending more time in the spa or heading off to lunch. We opted for the latter, relaxing makes you hungry.
There was a set lunch menu to pick from with the option of paying extra for sides like garlic bread, fries and desserts. With lunch, we could pick from a glass of wine, coffee or teas. Phil went for a glass of red while I had a coffee. Our toasted sandwiches were really good, I could eat them again now. The setting of the restaurant is fab, it overlooks the Winter Gardens.
We had a fantastic time at the Mecure Spa, the staff in the spa and in the restaurant were all lovely and friendly. I’m sure we’ll go back again in the new year.
Thank you to Buyagift for giving Phil and I the nudge we needed for a day of relaxation. That’s exactly why I think these gift vouchers are good. They give your friend the chance to book something fun, make memories and perhaps do something they wouldn’t normally get around to booking otherwise.