South Lodge

“Worth multiple visits”

Believe the hype and reviews. This place is spectacular and worth the visit. We stayed a night in the “Purity” suite which was spacious, had a magnificent view and a very comfy bed. The shower in the room was impressively huge with room for 4 and jets firing from multiple angles. If you prefer a ba… more

Believe the hype and reviews. This place is spectacular and worth the visit. We stayed a night in the “Purity” suite which was spacious, had a magnificent view and a very comfy bed. The shower in the room was impressively huge with room for 4 and jets firing from multiple angles. If you prefer a bath, the bath tub had a to built in so you could soak for an age and watch Netflix. We had two days at the spa also and treated ourselves to the bamboo treatment, the mud experience and indulged in all the pools and steam room. The spa itself is modern, has all the facilities you’d expect and more. Plenty towels available, soft and comfy robes and complimentary flip flops are offered. The spa conveniently uses wristband technology for lockers and access to all areas so no need to carry keys or have change for lockers. It was pretty crowded on Sunday but Saturday was less busy. It’s well worth exploring the grounds and taking in the views and nature of the incredible surroundings. We had a lovely dinner in the restaurant which delivered top notch service and delicious food. We were impressed by the croquettes, wasted carrot bread (soooo good) and the sharing dis main was also excellent. I had a tasty Old Fashioned before and after the meal which was better than expected. Breakfast in the man hotel was ok. The smoothies were delicious but the Full English wasn’t exactly filling and is more like a Half English breakfast as it doesn’t include everything you’d expect. Overall this place is an absolute MUST VISIT. I will definitely visit again as would highly recommend. Such beautiful settings, attentive staff, lovely decor, warm, spacious but cosy and has both character and all the mod cons.

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“Spa day”

Amazing spa day, the best we’ve ever been to: everything was perfect. Little touches such as hot towels on arrival and mini juices. Facilities were insane, I especially loved the wild swimming pool as no one else was in it so had that to myself. Amazing treatment with Sarah, bamboo massage. Robes,… more

Amazing spa day, the best we’ve ever been to: everything was perfect. Little touches such as hot towels on arrival and mini juices. Facilities were insane, I especially loved the wild swimming pool as no one else was in it so had that to myself. Amazing treatment with Sarah, bamboo massage. Robes, changing rooms, toilets etc all excellent and so luxurious. Really enjoyed our plant based lunch too. Would 100% be back again one day ❤️🫧 lovely spa reception staff too.

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“Excellent afternoon tea experience.”

We visited South a lodge for afternoon tea a birthday present bought by our daughter. It was a lovely experience with excellent service in a beautiful room. There were shades of ‘Downtown’ through the whole afternoon. There was a huge selection of teas and the sandwiches, cakes and scones were all … more

We visited South a lodge for afternoon tea a birthday present bought by our daughter. It was a lovely experience with excellent service in a beautiful room. There were shades of ‘Downtown’ through the whole afternoon. There was a huge selection of teas and the sandwiches, cakes and scones were all tasty and varied.

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“Lovely spa, underwhelming hotel room & mixed service”

We picked South Lodge for its proximity to London, the ability to stay one night (many hotels have a two night minimum on weekends) and the spa. The positives were the spa, which is as lovely as it looks in the photos. It’s relaxing, not over-crowded and unique. The swimming pond especially is grea… more

We picked South Lodge for its proximity to London, the ability to stay one night (many hotels have a two night minimum on weekends) and the spa. The positives were the spa, which is as lovely as it looks in the photos. It’s relaxing, not over-crowded and unique. The swimming pond especially is great and unlike anything else at similar spas. The food at Camellia on Saturday night was lovely and there were many welcoming, kind staff who went out of their way to help, in particular the manager and many of the serving staff. For us the negatives sadly outweighed the positives. Of those were the room. We went for an entry level room but this wasn’t “cheap” and yet it felt it. The bathroom was dated brown glitter tiles, the brown swirly carpet in the main bedroom looked like it hadn’t been changed for 30 years and aspects of the room were frankly grubby: a dirty tattered valance on the bed and dead flies caught in the plastic light fitting. I highlighted this when we checked out but there was little acknowledgement of that or apology. Sadly the evening bar lacked atmosphere with what I think was a pre mixed margarita and cheap tonic water. No olives/nuts or barman flare, and it took ages to get served. We had some mixed service from a waiter at breakfast who felt undertrained in hospitality or perhaps just lacked enthusiasm for the job. The bill at the end was not insubstantial and we left without looking back. There’s a lot for this hotel to sing about (the spa!) but a lot for it to learn from some of its competitors eg The Pig hotels and it’s time to invest in the room decor too. It was not a luxury stay.

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