A taste of the Swiss Alps... in Wiltshire: MasterChef winner Ping Coombes crosses an opulent hotel off her holiday 'wish list'

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A Swiss influence runs through Relais & Chateaux's Whatley Manor hotel
Spa at Whatley offers Wave Dream Sensory Room and Serial Mud Chamber
Head chef Martin Burge maintains impeccable standards with a small team

Published: 18:48 EST, 11 July 2015 | Updated: 18:48 EST, 11 July 2015

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Whatley Manor has been at the top of my holiday ‘wish list’ for years. I’d heard lots of great things about it, and I knew it would be good because it’s a Relais & Chateaux property and all the R&C hotels I’ve stayed at previously have been outstanding.

Arriving at the property near Malmesbury in Wiltshire, my husband Andrew and I were immediately impressed with the lovely location, while there were lots of ‘secret’ places in the gardens where we could go and lose ourselves.

The second thing I noticed was that Whatley Manor has a Swiss restaurant – not what you’d expect to find in deepest Wiltshire. The hotel’s owners are Swiss, so there is a Swiss influence running throughout the hotel.

Whatley Manor has Swiss owners and as a result there is a Swiss influence running throughout the hotel

Having won last year’s MasterChef competition, I was intrigued to see what was on the menu. The hotel’s head chef is Martin Burge, who has appeared as a judge on the series involving professionals.

Martin has won a shelf-full of awards for his work. I know the amount of work that goes into preparing just one simple three-course menu, but Martin offers three separate nine-course tasting menus (two ‘normal’ and one vegetarian).

‘How can you do that with your small team?’ I asked. ‘Well, I just do it…’ he replied. I couldn’t help but admire him.

GETTING TO WHATLEY MANOR

Double rooms at Whatley Manor (whatleymanor.com, 01666 822 888) cost from £315 per night including breakfast and use of the spa.

The Dining Room serves dinner between Wednesday and Sunday. The tasting menus cost £110pp.

But then everything about Whatley is impressive.

The spa is particularly special: there is a Wave Dream Sensory Room, designed to relax and soothe the mind, and a Serial Mud Chamber, complete with a steam room for detoxifying.

Meanwhile, the Iyashi Dome offers regenerating spa treatments.

I’ve been brought up on Chinese medicine – my mother swears by ginseng and a special kind of Chinese medicine mix that I have every month, which is supposed to revitalise me. I also practise reflexology, while my father is a kung fu master. I used to practise it when I was younger. I tell all my friends: ‘Please do not make me angry, don’t get into a fight with me – I can be vicious!’

But after a lovely, relaxing weekend at Whatley Manor, I was a push-over for anyone.