South Lodge

I cannot praise South Lodge enough. We have a huge affinity to the Exclusive group as they are all incredible in their own ways. South Lodge went above and beyond for my wife’s birthday treat, regularly greeted with “Happy Birthday” and little surprises that show the extra care. The spa is incredible and I’m very jealous of those they live close enough to be members and enjoy it often. Thank you to the Botanical restaurant for a superb dinner, fully recommend giving the broccoli toast a try…very different but so tasty. Thank you so much

I booked an overnight stay for my mum’s birthday. We arrived early but were shown to our room - the Earl of Anthone - straight away, which was much appreciated after driving from London. Our stay was perfect from start to finish. Even before we arrived, the bookings team were in touch with thoughtful suggestions such as offering to set up our room as a twin, and checking my mum’s name so that they could leave a lovely card and a box of chocolates for her in the room which was such a nice surprise. The room and spa were gorgeous and meticulously maintained, and we had a wonderful time relaxing there. The food at Botanica (dinner and lunch) and Camellia (breakfast) was delicious and beautifully presented. Our ‘relax and unwind’ evening yoga class was another highlight. What really stood out to us both was how friendly and helpful all the staff were across the hotel, spa and restaurants, which really elevated the experience.

A two night break at South Lodge is getting to be an annual winter habit. Spa is lovely and there’s something special about being in a hot outdoor pool when there’s frost on the ground. Room was excellent with two baths and a very large comfy bed. Dinner at Botanica and Camelia were both superb. The staff are the star though - many familiar faces which shows good staff retention and it makes a difference. Only one tiny gripe - service charges are extra on inclusive dinners. Seems a bit wrong to me. Will be back next year!!!

Absolutely flawless stay at South Lodge! It was our first visit after having stayed the their sister hotel Pennyhill Park many times. We stayed 2 nights for my 40th birthday in one of their new Reeds Lodges - we stayed in Spa category of the Reeds of which there are only 2, the lodge we were in was Newt, right at the very end with a gorgeous pond and fountain right in front of it. The Lodge itself was incredible! Everything in it was beautiful right down to the glassware. The “Spa” aspect of the lodge was brilliant too, it had its own 2 person inferred sauna that you access via the deck and the shower has a steam room function that was so good we actually used it more than the one in the actual spa. The service linked to the Reeds is just next level - the only other place we’ve experienced such an attentive and personalised experience was at a top resort in the Maldives. When you arrive you can be added to a WhatsApp group with the staff looking after you. The team members looking after us were so welcoming and really made us feel that nothing was too much trouble. Any time we needed picking up in the buggy or wanted something delivered to the room we just used the WhatsApp and it happened almost instantly. We never waited longer than 2 min for a buggy pickup. Also the treats and welcome cocktail waiting for us in the room on arrival was a beautiful extra touch. The wild swimming happens in the lake that the other Reeds lodges are in front of so there was no real disturbance from that activity although unfortunately the path that leads to the wild swimming runs directly in front of the 2 Spa lodges - which considering the location of the outdoor bath (right up against the glass metres from the path) doesn’t feel like the best thought out route - although we were told by staff the balance between wild swimming and privacy in the Reeds was being looked at - which I sincerely hope they do because we would love to stay in the same lodge again in the summer and make use of the wonderful deck space. Food was incredible - we ate at Camellia the first night and had a beautiful meal. We ate at The Pass the second night which is a wonderful experience, very interesting being able to see the chefs at work. We had breakfast at Botánica both mornings, their breakfast service runs till 11:30 and the offerings were unique and incredibly delicious - if you want something different from standard eggs & bacon then eating there is an absolute must. The spa is fabulous, I had 2 treatments, a facial and a hot stone massage and both were divine. We really didn’t want to leave and could have easily stayed another night - cannot wait to come back and stay again.

Afternoon tea at south lodge. An amazing experience. Superb food and service. Faultless. The food was beautifully presented and tasted absolutely delicious. The whole atmosphere was lovely. Everything about it was fantastic. A truly memorable experience. Thanks to all.

We have stayed in south lodge hot tub suites quite a few times and they are good but the Reed lodges are a big step up and very special. Beautifully appointed very big. Contains everything you need and more. And everything worked. (I think they are better even than the Chewton Glen tree houses). We gave ourselves a two night treat in one without the sauna. This has a bed downstairs on the same level as the bathroom which we prefer. We chose a lodge on the south end of the lake to minimize any inconvenience from the wild swimmers and the view across the lake is gorgeous. Very peaceful only the bird song as company. While suites in the hotel are nice I would not want to spend all our time in them but we barely left our lodge as it’s so beautiful tranquil and comfortable. The hamper breakfast is great and generous making a lovely spread outside on the deck and I cooked our eggs in thier egg poacher toasted the fresh sourdough loaf to serve with ham and cheese… wow it’s like a country hideaway cottage that almost self caters. But then a hamper of afternoon tea from thier exceptional kitchen made our day and we did not leave even to go for dinner. The reeds have been criticized for spoiling the solitude with lots of wild swimmers but they have listened to feedback and cut the number of daily swims so at our end of the lake it was not an issue. I have to congratulate Jack our Conciege who via our lodge WhatsApp group delivered every request for little extras seamlessly and we really felt pampered guests with his attention. One really nice touch is you can walk to the spa in your lodge spa robe and use your room key band to access the spa for extended times making the spa a nice extension of the lodge. I did try the wild swimming and this month the lake was lovely and not that cold. Just wander down from the lodge at the designated time in the lodge provided dry robe to meet the lifeguard and off you go…. We will definitely come back to these lodges see you soon …