Youonlyliveonce40
My wife and I love a spa hotel mini break and so were very excited when a good friend recommended South Lodge to us. We completely lucked out on the weather and time of year to visit - the UK had a heatwave and the South Lodge's gardens and grounds were in full bloom - we have never seen so many beautiful rhododendrons. Our good fortune meant that during the 4 days and 3 nights we were lucky enough to stay at South Lodge we had every meal outside! Where to begin? As always with luxury hotels the facilities at South Lodge were absolutely world class. The hotel combined the old and the new with equal aplomb - our room (Cristata) was in the new section and whilst it didn't face the grounds with what would have been an incredible view, it was spacious, comfortable, spotlessly clean and had a bathroom that we could have easily got lost in! The Spa was probably the best we've ever been too - so many great features including a large outdoor seating/sunbed area, outdoor bar and swim pond (in which fluffy baby moorhens are currently residing!) that was heavenly to cool off from the 30+ degrees, an outdoor hot tub of epic proportion, indoor pool, gym (we even managed a kettlebells and TRX class whilst there - to work off some calories!) and finally a brilliant restaurant in Botanica where we had breakfast every day, and an evening meal. Special thanks must go to Ian and his colleagues who worked tirelessly in all that heat to ensure a fantastic guest experience. We also loved the wild swimming in the lake by the Lodges - a real treat. We also dined in Camelia, and that in itself was a lovely evening and gastronomic experience - the first time I've ever had Steak tartare and it was delicious. Again the staff made it so special, and in particular we thought Gracie was excellent, boundless energy and constantly smiling despite the heat and the long shift she had undertaken. Would we come again? Definitely, in a heart beat. South Lodge is a real treat, one of the best hotels we've stayed at, and we would thoroughly recommend if you were looking for a bit of luxury and being made to feel very special.