The Reeds at South Lodge offer one of the most impressive hotel experiences you can enjoy in the UK.
I don’t say that lightly: between a privileged 20-year career reviewing hotels and a wife who demands – sorry, I mean deserves – increasingly spectacular anniversary breaks, South Lodge really takes the biscuit. Or, to be more accurate, the freshly baked apple-and-blackberry macaron.
It’s just one of the delicious welcome treats that greet your arrival alongside a cocktail shaken by your butler as you settle into your room.
The rooms
Mark Hedley
Mark Hedley
And what a room it is. Though South Lodge is home to 96 more traditional country-house rooms and suites, the Scandi-chic Reeds will have you reaching for your camera phone quicker than you can say #swoon.
Completed just a year ago, these eight luxury eco-lodges line the shore of the hotel’s wild-swimming lake. The two-storey accommodations come in two configurations – a one-up one-down perfect for families, or an adults-only spa special complete with steam room and sauna.
To be fair, the family lodges have bathrooms so impressive you could sell day passes to them. The giant free-standing baths enjoy their own flatscreen Aquavision TVs opposite, and the experience showers are heavenly.
All lodges feature epic floor-to-ceiling windows and a large sun terrace with circular loungers and a dining table. The showstopper? A two-person copper outdoor Jacuzzi – the perfect spot to warm up after a morning dip. The lake was a relatively balmy 20°C when visited in the height of summer, but gets down to 6°C in the winter.
The eco creds are very real here – the water from the lake is used to fill your tub, and the bathroom products are produced by Pelegrims, which crafts all its skincare from wine by-products.
Indeed, The Exclusive Collection, which owns South Lodge, is the UK’s first B Corp-certified hotel group.
Activities
On arrival, you’ll be set up on a WhatsApp group with the concierge so whatever you need, it’s just a message away. That includes last-minute reservations for the tennis courts – and even more last-minute requests for ‘New balls, please!’
There are close to 100 acres to explore at South Lodge – the scavenger hunt is a particularly ingenious way to get the kids to agree to go for a walk.
Every self-respecting country house hotel needs a decent spa – and South Lodge is no exception. The changing room is more like the Bath & Racquets Club in London – all Chesterfield sofas and flat-screen TVs.
Outside, you'll find a freshwater pool fringed by reeds and wildflowers awaits, alongside a hydrotherapy pool with sweeping garden views.
A giant indoor pool awaits those who want to do some serious swimming – and there are sessions in the morning and afternoon that allow the kids to have some splash time, too.
Food & Drink
The food offering is reassuringly top tier. The chefs use home-grown ingredients from their walled garden, as well as sourcing the best of British produce from local Sussex suppliers.
There’s Camellia in the main house, serving seasonally inspired dishes; Botanica in the spa, offering a Mediterranean plant-based menu – dairy-free and zero waste; and if you want to go all out, there’s the intimate chef’s table experience at Michelin-starred The Pass.
But one of the highlights of The Reeds is your hamper hatch. Whether it’s for a charcuterie lunch, an indulgent afternoon tea, or for a brilliant breakfast, just WhatsApp for a hamper to be delivered to the hatch on the outside of your lodge. There’s a window on the indoors to slide it through and get tucked in.
And soon, you’ll even be able to order your own South Lodge special cuvée from Ridgeview. The hotel teamed up with the East Sussex producer in 2019 to begin growing enough vines on the estate to yield up to 30,000 bottles a year by 2026.
We’ll happily raise a glass to that. Any excuse to book a return visit…
See more at exclusive.co.uk
