Not every standout event space has to be in a city. Low Wood Bay Resort & Spa, sitting on the shores of Lake Windermere in the heart of the Lake District, has been offering family-run hospitality for over 70 years, and its latest proposition for planners is one of the more distinctive additions to the MICE market this year: exclusive hire of its spa facilities, with the fells as a backdrop and Windermere stretching out in front of you.
Two spa exclusive use packages are now available for groups of up to 50. The Private Outdoor Spa and Fell View Lounge Hire, from £5,000, includes exclusive use of the outdoor spa facilities, the Fell View Lounge and a DJ on the upper deck from 8pm to 10pm. The Signature Spa Evening, from £7,000, adds full spa exclusive use across both the indoor and outdoor thermal experiences, welcome drinks on arrival and canapés throughout the evening. Both packages can be enhanced with drinks upgrades, pizza, additional canapés and DJ packages, making them adaptable to a wide range of briefs and budgets.
The spa itself holds a five-bubble rating from the Good Spa Guide, which gives some indication of the quality on offer. The indoor and outdoor thermal experiences give the packages a genuine point of difference, and the Fell View Lounge and upper deck add an event atmosphere that most hotel spa hires simply don’t have.
For planners looking for a fuller programme, the wider resort has considerable depth. The conference centre offers 10 meeting and event spaces across two floors, with the Lakes Suite accommodating up to 340 delegates and configurable down to more intimate sizes. Day delegate rates start from £49 per person and 24-hour delegate rates from £190 per person, with 130 en-suite bedrooms on site for residential events. For something more exclusive, the Winander Club adds panoramic lake views, stylish interiors and a rooftop terrace that works well for drinks receptions.
The watersports offer is another strong card for team building. The resort’s marina gives groups access to canoe and kayak hire, paddleboarding, wakesurfing, sailing and skippered yacht charter on Windermere, with instructors available for team building sessions. Wellbeing activities and corporate experiences in the surrounding countryside are also available, rounding out what is a well-developed activity programme for residential groups.
Blue Smoke, the resort’s wood-fired grill restaurant, and The W, its more formal dining option, both provide good options for group meals, while The Atrium, Norman’s and the Langdale Lounge offer relaxed spaces for delegates to decompress between sessions.
For planners who want to take a group somewhere that feels like an escape, Low Wood Bay is an excellent contender. The spa exclusive use packages are a fresh and flexible addition to an already well-rounded resort, and the Lake District setting does a lot of the work from the moment delegates arrive.