THE LOCATION

South Lodge sits pretty in its own 92 acres of gardens, meadows, woodland and a vineyard (it’ll one day produce its own sparkling). Built in the 19th Century by explorer Frederick DuCane Godman, it’s a handsome pale stone manor house that’s been sensitively extended and still boasts many a species of plants including  rhododendrons that DuCane planted – one of which has grown to be the largest single stemmed rhododendron in England. It’s a great mountain of a shrub that’s over 150 years old and was just coming into resplendent magenta-hued flower when we checked in. Honestly, it’s quite a sight. 

The hotel is one of seven properties that make up the family-owned luxury Exclusive Collection hotel group, which was the first UK hotel group to achieve B Corp accreditation in 2021. South Lodge is in a peachy spot for exploring the South Downs or south coast, plus its just 20 mins from Gatwick, though with its whopping spa and grounds, you really don’t need to leave the site for a weekend of luxe R&R. 

THE VIBE

It depends where you are in the hotel but generally it’s trad country house hotel vibes with updated interiors. The reception, bar and original restaurant, Camellia, have the most heritage feel with upholstered chairs, stone archways, oil paintings and the archetypal huge wooden staircase. For full throttle lady of the manor English elegance, don’t miss the opportunity to scoff afternoon tea with a glass of fizz (is there any other way?) in the lounge or on the terrace.

There’s oodles of wood panelling, especially in the old-school Billiard Bar, a place for a cosy Old Fashioned and a game of draughts beneath a vast Murano glass chandelier plus informal food like fish and chips, toasties, salads, and mezze. I highly recommend the Hillfield Gin made at South Lodge’s sister hotel Pennyhill Park in Surrey, which has a grapefruit tinge and made for a refreshing aperitif. Chin, chin.

PILLOW TALK

Every room is individually decorated and named, and with unique characteristics like four poster beds, private balconies or garden terrace on the ground floor (these are dog friendly) – five even have their own hot tubs. There’s also The Bothy, a private cottage in the grounds with four bedrooms and full kitchen, where you can book a chef to cook for you privately – and coming this summer, eight super luxe lakeside lodges called The Reeds, London glampers look no further. 

Rooms at the back overlook the terraces and beyond to the South Downs and at the front, the gardens, so everyone’s a winner, though the ones in the original building have the most charm. Our bedroom, Elizabeth Le Bay (purportedly where Winston Churchill used to stay), was a cracker, with original features like the fireplace and cornicing, but striking modern art and dreamy soft furnishings. Gorgeous fabrics from the headboard to the scatter cushions refreshed the place, leaving the swirly carpets of the hallways a few decades behind – presumably this is next on the refurb list. A massive window framed far reaching South Downs views across the lawns, mowed by a dutiful auto mower and with grand stone staircases and pretty parterre flower beds, a perfect blank canvas for outdoor wedding ceremonies.

On balance, this place has all the right weekend-in-a country-pile vibes but with every detail taken care of. The room had anything you could wish for and some – walk-in wardrobe, huge marble bathroom, desk, coffee machine and kettle, Ruark digital radio, three televisions for in bed, in bath and sitting room viewing, which feels overkill but if you’re halfway through a Netflix binge, then there’s you’ll stay on top of your viewing. Anything you need to know about the hotel is on a tablet on the bedside table as well as room service and restaurant bookings – more on this next.

SCOFF & QUAFF

If you want to bag a table at the hotel’s Ben Wilkinson at The Pass, a Michelin-starred tasting menu kinda venue, you need to book ahead as it’s the local hot ticket. The 28-seat restaurant has a completely different feel to the hotel – all high stool seating and chairs, mostly in twos with a grey backdrop and mauve banquettes of studded leather.

Half the tables back onto a huge window looking onto the kitchen with the chefs the entertainment as they tweezer leaves onto plates and work seamlessly and seemingly sweatlessly in a smooth and calm kitchen. No ‘yes chef’ here.

The food really is exceptional. It’s beautifully presented and while the menu looks a little like it jumps from land to sea, in reality it’s well balanced and didn’t feel overly rich, the benefit of modern Michelin cooking versus the lobster foams and foie gras of old.

Highlights for us included the day boat turbot with leeks, squid, dulse and asparagus and the kumquat with ewe’s milk curd, sancho pepper and yoghurt, an unexpected palate cleanser. Aside from the fab food and theatre of it, the waiters and chefs are really engaging, willing to chat about provenance and wine choices, including head chef Ben, though clearly a modest guy who’s happiest in the kitchen.

The menu has a new dish on it every week or so when Ben’s inspired by a new ingredient or experience, and it ends up being completely refreshed around every four weeks. 

You can also eat in the Camellia restaurant, itself a 3 AA Rosette eatery that utilises veg from the hotel’s walled garden. Then there’s Botanica at the spa, open for brunch, lunch and snacks plus dinner with a Mediterranean influenced menu that has sustainability at its heart with a zero-waste kitchen.

We had breakfast in Botanica, which really is a step change from the original building and contemporary foil to Camellia’s old school charm, the other breakfast choice. It’s got Daylesford vibes with rattan, pale wood, ferns and nature prints with a terrace for sunny days. Of the two it’s the more contemporary breakfast offering with dishes like blueberry chia seed pudding or sauteed wild mushroom and spinach bruschetta to Camellia’s Full English and Eggs Royale.

Botanica isn’t full veggie but plant-based dishes dominate and there’s no dairy on the menu. My Nutbourne tomatoes with superstraccia on grilled olive bread was simple but delicious with the freshness of the ingredients shining through. The coffee was top notch too and with great views – it’s a real destination in itself for perfect for a spa brunch/lunch pre or post treatments, but it’s open to all so you don’t have to be a spa goer or hotel guest to enjoy

THE SPA

The Spa is an absolute whopper and still feels like the wrappers have only just come off having opened in 2019 followed by the covid pause. It’s all smooth elemental materials: spotless marble, wood, and stone tiles but in soft natural colours and with accents of bold modern art. You want for nothing in the changing rooms with Dyson hair dryers and straighteners, baby soft towels, bespoke Pelegrims products and an array of vast rainsoak showers, though I could have managed without the TV and sofas in there, something that’s a bit of a theme here given the number of them in the bedroom. 

My treatment room was spacious, the perfect temperature and with a heated bed and all the little things taken into account like the scent of the room, softness of towels, a heated and scented eye pillow, plus the therapist regularly checking in over massage firmness. The bed could contort into any position with a touch of a button (no messing with knee pillows) and even the disposable spa pants were a decent size rather than the dental floss version that leaves very little to the imagination. 

My Pro-Sleep Ritual massage was über relaxing – perfect for anyone who doesn’t like a firm massage, plus it started with a full body scrub which I showered off before being stroked with what felt like a soft paintbrush dipped in warm oil. Definitely on the bearable side. 

The rest of the spa is a knockout, with three pools including a beautifully landscaped natural pool then two heated ones to warm up in – one inside, one out. And also a suite of steam and sauna rooms with botanicals and plenty of outside space where one could cocoon in a lounger or rattan egg chair and completely zone out.

Leave plenty of time for this – mercifully with generous opening hours of 7am – 9pm it’s possible to fit a spa visit into the briefest of stays. Kids are allowed in but only 8am – 9.30am and 4pm – 5.30pm. Beyond this there’s plenty to stretch and tone – two tennis courts, a super modern gym, spin studio, holistic studio for yoga and a beauty bar. You can also borrow bikes, play croquet in the summer, or hit the local trails.

ACCESSIBILITY

The majority of the hotel is wheelchair accessible and so too are many of the rooms including those with emergency pull cords, handrails, accessible showers and low level basins.

DOG-FRIENDLY?

The hotel is dog friendly, with 10 rooms that can be booked with a dog in tow for an extra £40 per hound, which includes dog bed, towel, water bowl and a treat.

OUT & ABOUT

For kids there’s plenty of fun at the hotel – boardgames to borrow, books, consoles and outdoor games like giant Jenga and skittles etc, plus a trail map to follow in the grounds and you can even borrow wellies. If you want to venture further, opposite South Lodge is the Grade I listed Leonardslee Lakes and Gardens, best known for spring and autumn colour, then four miles away there’s Nymans, a National Trust beauty with a whimsical house and gardens. Further away if you’re happy to drive for 30 mins you’ve got Petworth House, Arundel Castle and Brighton, so entz for all ages basically.

THE MUDDY VERDICT

For a weekend away this place really ticks the boxes, managing to capture both the trendy and the more trad crowd with its very different restaurants. The spa is the out-and-out star though with its rustic chic restaurant and natural pool. If you can bag one of the sub £500 packages for dinner, bed and breakfast for two it’s really pretty good value (though this wouldn’t be eating at The Pass, which is £145pp for the seven-course taster).

Good for: Couples wanting to robe up and spa out in style and foodies who love a taster menu. 

Not for: Party crowd need not apply – this isn’t a place for groups wanting a big old catch up – both the bar and spa are all hushed tones and mellow vibes. Hens – head on down to Brighton. 

The damage: Rooms start from £515 per night for a dinner bed and breakfast package including spa access. 

South Lodge, Brighton Rd, Lower Beeding, Crabtree, Horsham RH13 6PS. Tel: 01403 891711.

Words: Ginny Light