Sussex columnist: Trying to do nothing at a spa in Midhurst and scooting along in Worthing

​You get cold, you end up with damp towels and then you have to navigate the misery of getting yourself changed in a tiny cubicle.

But pay quite a lot of money for a spa break, and suddenly, being wet on and off for several hours is a luxury experience.

Don’t get me wrong, I’m not criticising it. When it comes to spa breaks I’m all in – I think they’re amazing and very much enjoyed the night I spent at the Spread Eagle in Midhurst with my husband last week.

It just makes me laugh that visiting a swimming pool, which is considered to be almost onerous on a normal week, can be so elevated with the payment of quite a lot of money.

Okay, so most spas are a bit more high-end than Splashpoint (and I am by no means bashing our local pool. My family are members, we use it all the time, and I think it meets the swimming needs of our town). But at a spa you’re still just either swimming, sitting in a bubbly tub, or perhaps, lying by the side of the pool in a slightly warm room.

I guess, though, that trying to replicate the experience by lying at the side of the pool at Splashpoint might get you trodden on by hundreds of excited children trying to get to their lessons.

And then there’s the promise of a slap-up three-course meal after your afternoon spent mainly horizontal, which is somewhat more appealing than going home and having to cook dinner for everyone after a visit to your local pool.

And therein lies the magic of spas. All you are required to do is relax.

Relieved of the everyday chores and never-ending life-admin to complete that had got me down a bit last week, all I needed to do at the spa was do nothing!

And while it doesn’t always come naturally to me to just chill out, that’s what I did. I swam a bit, sat in the steam room, and for a couple of glorious hours just reclined and read my book. It was bliss. And then, when I was ready to be fed, somebody served me a glorious cheese soufflé and handed me a couple of glasses of wine. And when it was time for bed, all I had to do was pop upstairs.

And the best thing of all about this spa break? It was actually a Christmas present for my husband, but seeing as you usually go in a pair, this present also ended up being a present for me – genius, even if I do say so myself.

Especially as my husband is always criticising my ability, or apparent lack thereof, to buy good presents.

I don’t know what it is, but when faced with needing to buy a gift for someone, my mind usually goes blank. It’s only, typically, after the event the present is needed for that suddenly I’m flush with ideas of what to get them.

So, for Christmas, I was determined to get a great big brilliant gift for once. He absolutely loved the spa, too, so I think I achieved my goal. Tick! The only issue now is how do I follow this epic gift up when his birthday rolls around in a couple of months – answers on a postcard, please.

The weekend was a weekend of two halves, but spent in the same place.

My son has a new two-wheeled scooter, which he wanted to practice on, so we headed down to west Worthing seafront on Saturday afternoon. It was positively Baltic down there, and even clad in hat, scarf and gloves, the wind chill was piercing and I was desperate to head home after sticking it out for 90 minutes.

MORE COLUMNS: Sussex columnist: Worthing's food scene is booming – and I'm all for it!

Sussex columnist: A special weekend away with my daughter in Crawley

Same time, same place, just 24 hours later, and the kids were scooting along without coats. The sun was shining, and there were ten times as many people out and about. It did mean the Waterwise playground was a little bit busier, but it gave me hope that more spring-like days are on the way.

I, for one, can’t wait. Bring on more days out and sunshine!