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Badwell Ash Lodges - Suffolk

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Stunning lakeside luxury

The words “holiday” and “lodge” in the same sentence, may fill you with dread, but the four luxury cabins at Badwell Ash are not the stuff of Hi-de-Hi style nightmares. Far from it. These Scandinavian-style lodges are well spaced out around a beautiful lake complex in the Suffolk countryside, are grown-ups only, and are the perfect retreat for anyone seeking a bit of romantic peace-and-quiet.

Each cabin has two bedrooms – one with a gorgeous four-poster – plus a cosy living area with leather sofas, flat-screen telly and DVD. Bathrooms have funky steam showers with body jets, and best of all… wait for it… every lodge has a secluded hot tub outside, with views over the lake. Bliss. Not only that, but luxurious welcome hampers, with toiletries, breakfast goodies, champagne and chocolates are also, fantastically, complementary.

The lodges are all self-catering, but when all you want to do is sit with a glass of bubbly in your hot tub, watching the swans by day and the stars by night, who needs hotel catering?

Where is it?

Badwell Ash sits in the depths of mid-Suffolk, about 10 miles east of the historic market town of Bury St Edmunds. It’s the perfect place for pottering, with plenty of small villages to explore and pubs to test-drive. Bury St Edmunds itself is definitely worth a visit, if only to visit the uber-cute The Nutshell – Britain’s smallest pub. At less than 5m by 2m big, there’s only room for about 6 people at the bar! And on the subject of ale, Bury is a bit of a beer-lover’s treat as the Greene King brewery is famously situated, Willy Wonka-like , in the centre of town. Otherwise, picturesque medieval ruins, lovely Georgian architecture and regular, bustling markets, are more than enough to make Bury a fascinating place to visit.

For somewhere just as historic, but a little more romantic, take the scenic, 15-minute drive to the medieval wool town of Lavenham. Park the car and wander around to see why this is one of the UK’s most popular film locations. Lavenham’s crooked streets are lined with the finest collection of timber-framed houses in England. It’s all a bit wonky, but very, very pretty. Or you could visit beautiful Ickworth House (www.nationaltrust.org.uk Tel: 01284 735270), an amazing Italianate palace, with its huge (and a bit eccentric) rotunda stuck in the middle. There are paintings by Titian, Velazquez and Gainsborough, immaculate State apartments to ogle at, a vineyard, jaw-dropping gardens, designed in part by Capability Brown and 1800 acres of parkland. All in all, it’s pretty amazing and spot-on for a summer picnic. And if all that still doesn’t appeal, get yourself to Newmarket Racecourse (www.newmarketracecourses.co.uk Tel: 01638 675 500), about 40 minutes' drive from Badwell Ash and the spiritual home of horse racing. There are more racehorses, trainers, stable staff, stud farms and racing organisations based in and around the town of Newmarket than anywhere else on earth. With Spring, Summer and Autumn meets on most weekends, plus Champions’ Day on the world-famous Rowley Mile in October, it’s easy to get caught up in the excitement.

Where can I eat?

Bury St Edmunds has a good selection of lovely restaurants and cosy gastro-pubs. Try Maison Bleue (www.maisonbleue.co.uk Tel: 01284 760623) for chic surroundings and an outstanding seafood menu. It’s very popular with locals, and it’s easy to see why.

For an out of town option, you should definitely try The Leaping Hare (www.wykenvineyards.co.uk Tel: 01359 250287) in Stanton, 3 miles from Badwell Ash. This gorgeous restaurant has been opened in a converted tythe barn on the ancient Wyken Estate, only a few yards from Wyken Hall, a romantic Elizabethan manor house. Café by day and award-winning restaurant by night, The Leaping Hare offers fresh, local ingredients in all its dishes, including many grown on the Estate. Alternatively, try the fantastic gastro-pub-grub at The Beehive (Tel: 01284 735 260) in Horringer, close to Ickworth House. Lovely.

For a very special evening out and one with the backing of numerous national food critics, The Great House restaurant in Lavenham (www.greathouse.co.uk Tel: 01787 247431) has become a local legend, with proper French dishes and proper French cooking making it stand out from the crowd – even the photos on their website will make your mouth water. And with great lunch and dinner set menus, eating here won’t ruin the romantic atmosphere by taking your wallet hostage.

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Taking the holiday lodge into the twenty-first century... These gorgeous little retreats are as tranquil and luxurious as any five-star hotel (with an oudoor hot tub to boot).