South Lodge

My wife and I visited South Lodge over the late May bank holiday. The location is stunning, and the weather cooperated as well - which is lovely. The main “house” itself is very much a converted stately home that oozes of history and character. There are two more modern “wings” to the hotel, that I assume have been added in the past 10-years or so. There is also an amazing spa, as well as a nice restaurant, great bar, etc. We travel alot, including to the Middle East and Asia. So, our standards and expectations are quite high. I also rarely give poor reviews. However, we paid £460 for one night including breakfast, and frankly I don’t think it was worth the money. Four reasons: 1. The room was large and well appointed, but it was plain dirty. Carpets and furniture stains were evident. Towels were not clean. 2. The spa was amazing, but it was so busy and overcrowded that we could barely use the facilities. The sauna and large heated pool were consistently packed to the brim. Towel and robe availability was sparse. To make matters worse; there was a swim yoga class being taught on the Monday morning, so we couldn’t even access the pool for nearly 2 hours on the date of departure. 3. The Staff were nice, but the service was consistently slow (breakfast, drinks, etc.). Their uniforms were also noticeably unclean and unkept. I also noticed that plates and cutlery were not fully cleaned (I had to send back a coffee in one case) 4. Finally and somewhat annoyingly, our room was not ready at the 3pm check in time. To be fair, we arrived about 90 mins early - at 1:30. We were told to expect a text when our room was ready. That text never came. We eventually came back to the front desk at 3:05, at which time we were told that it still wasn’t ready. We eventually go into the room by 3:15, but you could tell that the cleaning had been last minute and rushed. Thus is also probably why the room appeared dirty. My wife and I both agreed that South Lodge has so much potential. But for £460 per night (and for a room that faced the entry parking lot), it needs to be near perfect.

We booked a stay for a couples night away to celebrate my partners 30th Birthday. Couldn’t have asked for a better experience, the room was beautifully decorated with a large balcony (made even better it was warm and sunny). We made great use of the Spa facilities and outdoor pool, with cocktails outside by the plunge pool. The staff were extremely friendly and great help with recommendations, especially when it came to dinner and we dined at the Botanica. I had the lamb and my partner the porchetta, along with arancini (definitely recommend). The evening was topped off with a quiet drink in the bar before breakfast the following morning (the team recommended the apple and strawberry danish…I would too). Overall a lovely time away that helped celebrate a big birthday and create meaningful memories, topped off at a beautiful relaxing spa with a friendly and knowledgeable staff. Thank you for helping to make this a special birthday for us!

I was treated to a surprise birthday trip here and it was absolutely fantastic. I've had the pleasure of staying in many lovely spa hotels and this was the best I've every experienced. The rooms were superb; the location is stunning; the spa facilities were fantastic (we particularly loved the natural pond!); and the food was incredible - we ate at The Pass and had an exquisite tasting menu there, followed by a delicious breakfast in the spa restaurant the following morning. It was all absolutely faultless.

We chose South Lodge for our anniversary and it did not disappoint. The grounds are just beautiful and the building is well kept and clean. The staff are polite and go above and beyond when provide services, whilst being attentive to your needs. The spa is beautiful and the outside pool area is tranquil, with drinks and snacks provided. The restaurant at the spa, Botanica, caters to dietary requirements and takes thorough care and attention when doing this. The staff at Botanica are also very polite and attentive. The rooms are clean and spacious and well provided with amenities. I can’t wait to return to South Lodge, it is somewhere I would highly recommend.

Loved it from start to finish, comfy large room with loads of space, great service, excellent spa, superb grounds. The only small niggle was that breakfast was ok but not up to the standard of the rest of the hotel. I’m still going to give it a 5 but when we ask for some fruit for breakfast we were directed to a fruit bowl with apples, oranges and bananas, no soft fruits. When I asked for a cortado I was asked what a cortado was. The fruit juices tasted like they were from concentrate but the smoothie was great and tasted fresh. Overall the grounds are great and we would definitely go back, we have been to Pennyhill as well but actually preferred it here, felt less pretentious, less people with pouts and more ground. Spa is great with the pools and saunas thoughtfully put together and there is loads of space. Overall would recommend.

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