THE sun is rising over Sussex’s South Downs and – revelling in the early-morning stillness – I immerse myself in the steamy outdoor hydrotherapy pool at South Lodge as the rest of the world wakes up. It’s a glorious way to start the day at this five-star country pile, whose spectacular purpose-built spa – complete with a full circuit of saunas, steam rooms and a zeitgeisty, vegetation-lined “wild-swimming” pool – is a major reason why this stylish rural retreat should be on your radar.
The Lounge at South Lodge Hotel
Yet there’s far more to South Lodge than wellness alone. Just 90 minutes from London, this wisteria-clad, neo-Jacobean mansion comes with 88 elegant rooms, each named after local flora and fauna and featuring their own decorative flourishes, with the top picks boasting four–poster beds, balconies and – in some cases – a hot tub. Be sure to pick one with views across South Lodge’s expansive 90-acre grounds, which provide plenty of scope for exploration.
South Lodge Bedroom
Armed with hiking boots and a map, I while away an afternoon on trails that lead me past South Lodge’s vast rhododendron arboretum – said to be the UK’s largest – ornamental gardens, rockeries and duck ponds and into swathes of woodland dotted with wood-carved sculptures. All of which is enough to build up a thirst, which is suitably quenched by an immaculate martini in South Lodge’s wood-panelled Billiard Bar, where classic and contemporary cocktails are mixed under Murano glass chandeliers.
South Lodge Exterior
For dinner, there’s haute cuisine at The Pass, where chef Greg Clarke is the latest in a roster of guest residencies, serving a tasting menu in sleek surroundings. Elsewhere, the elevated British classics on offer at Camellia put the seasonal produce grown in the grounds to good use and more virtuous fare can be found at the light, bright spa restaurant Botanica, which – for self-satisfied morning swimmers like me – doubles as beautiful spot to enjoy brunch accompanied by South Lodge’s spectacular views.
by Ben Olsen
From £300 bed and breakfast per night