A day of doing very little: pizza, spa treatments and the sauna at The Firs

The best days at The Firs are the ones with nothing in them — and here's how to do "nothing" properly on a Suffolk countryside stay. No coast trip, no itinerary; just a retreat day of good food, warm water and cold water, spent entirely within the gardens. We're 2 hours from London and 45 minutes from Norwich.

Late morning: the sauna and the plunge bucket. Start with the ritual guests love most. Warm through slowly in the sauna, then step out and pull the cord on the plunge bucket — that sharp, cold drench that resets you completely. Sit, breathe, warm up, repeat. It's the simplest pleasure on site and the most addictive.

Early afternoon: a spa treatment. Book a spa treatment into the day and let someone else do the work for an hour. There's no better way to follow a sauna session than lying still while the tension eases out — it turns a relaxing day into a genuinely restorative one.

Evening: fire up the pizza oven. As the light softens, head to the outdoor kitchen and light the pizza oven. Cooking on fire is half the fun — stretching dough, loading toppings, the blistered char of a pizza cooked in ninety seconds. Eat it outside with a glass of something while the firepit catches.

Night: the hot tub. Finish in your own private wood-fired hot tub, under a Suffolk sky thick with stars. Warm water, no light pollution, no neighbours — just the steam and the quiet. This is the bit you'll think about on the drive home.

If you do want to eat out, the coast is close: in Aldeburgh, Regatta is a beloved seafood spot and Aldeburgh Fish and Chips is among the best around; in Southwold, The Swan does smart Adnams dining. But the best evenings here never leave the gardens — that's rather the point of a Firs retreat.

Ready for a day of doing very little? Check availability and book direct.