The first time my husband and I celebrated my birthday together, he wanted to do something special. He took me out to a really nice dinner and handed me a small envelope. Inside was a Polaroid of my childhood teddy bear, who had seen better days. Teddy was sitting on the steps outside our house, wearing a hat and sunglasses, next to a suitcase. With a picture was a letter explaining that he was traveling to a "teddy bear hospital" and would return fixed up as good as new. Sure enough, he returned a few weeks later, completely repaired and shined up. Today this thirty-year-old bear sits on the edge of my older son's bed. It was hands-down the most memorable present I've ever received.

How times have changed. Now, aging teddy bears have a posher destination -- the new Bartie Bristle Hotel and Spa (opens as a PDF), appropriately just an hour and a half from Paddington. Tagged as "‘Luxury care for your favourite bear," the hotel offers a pot of honey on arrival, donkey rides, picnics, visits to a rooftop garden and spa treatments. Accommodations, for £80 (about $158), are in a "delightfully refurbished apple crate complete with soft furnishings and tasteful artwork." Teddy bears are treated to cleansing spa treatments and cosmetic surgery as needed. They return with pictures and souvenirs of their stay.

^{Image © The Bartie Bristle Hotel & Spa}