South Lodge

This is an updated review from a previous disappointing visit … we were asked to contact the hotel and were invited to return to give them the opportunity to turn the situation around ..now in this day and age it’s rare for a business to be passionate determined and dedicated enough to show what they’re ethics are really all about so with a positive interest we returned Tue 7th Oct for dinner a nights stay and breakfast… as per our 1st visit we were warmly welcomed by the lovely attentive ladies and reception manager who collected our luggage and walked us to our locally named Seven Sisters room, the room was huge immaculate and warmly decorated with a fabulous balcony with spectacular views of the south Down we loved the complimentary snacks tea/coffee/ water and of course Minty the Lamb who sits outside the door earning his keep as a Do Not Disturb sign .. we also really appreciated the personalised welcome card bottle of fizz on ice and hand made chocolates in celebration of my hubbys birthday sitting on the balcony drinking fizz was highly delightful and very thoughtful thank you South Lodge .. we walked the beautiful grounds visited the totally amazing Spa something for the future I think, the ladies in the Spa reception and restaurant were again lovely and friendly talking us through the Spa breakfast menu and facilities …… we had drinks in the bar before dinner served by the very professional and knowledgeable Tina who even managed to jazz up my Ginger Beer into a big girls drink which made my day it really is the little things .. dinner was delicious incredibly presented and we were taken very good care of by the attentive friendly and entertaining Lucas who made great recommendations, I have to add at this point the bread rolls and designer butter were to die for again it’s the little things .. so after a wonderfully quiet peaceful goodnights sleep in the incredibly comfy super king size bed and a splash about in the enormous walk in multi jet powered shower we were ready for the 5 star breakfast (Eggs Benni) all cooked to order that we were presented by the very friendly Matthew I could have grazed the delicious pastries and toast for a few hours along with freshly squeezed orange juice and homemade jams and preserves all whilst looking out at the beautiful views … the hotel is stunningly beautiful and maintained and cleaned to a very high standard great quality food bedding towels and tableware make for a luxurious experience…the hotel staff are brilliant again when checking out this morning the young lady on reception was just so lovely it makes a huge difference having experienced staff who genuinely care about giving exceptional customer service .. thank you South Lodge you turned our frowns upside down we look forward to returning ….

Everything about the stay was exceptional, all the staff were friendly and couldn’t do more for you. The food was of a high quality, we had breakfast in both restaurants. I particularly liked that it was cooked to order and not buffet. The spa was lovely, always clean and never over crowded like a lot of other spa’s are.

Absolutely wonderful stay. First time and nothing that we could fault. Staff were so friendly particularly in Cornelia restaurant. The food exquisite. The pool was lovely. Children had a fabulous time. Family suite -huge. Best nights sleep I have had in ages. We are looking to come back and stay over Christmas Day given how nice everything was. No idea why recent reviews seem bad. Oh and the dessert was one of the nicest things have ever eaten. Treats for the children. Such a happy stay

We arrived on Fri 27th for one night to celebrate my husbands retirement along with three of his fellow Company Directors and their partners all staying the night a private dinning room was reserved … first impressions of the house were lovely reception staff were very nice tentative and professional sadly that’s where it possibly ended .. the room a suite at £615 per night was huge but sadly overlooking the car park it was a mismatched muddle of mixed curtains carpets seat upholstery and furniture in possibly the style of the 1930s resembling an auction house .. the bed was deliciously comfy and we loved the lamb do not disturb sign .. facilities were ok although we only found the hairdryer in the bottom of the wardrobe as we were packing up to leave we get the Green effect but would prefer little bottles of body wash shampoo etc not stone refillable bottles that we had to take into and balance on a tiny soap dish in the shower room .. after settling in we decided to sit outside and admire the fabulous view wine and a pot of tea were ordered wine came tea took 25 minutes I asked for a slice of the ‘cake of the day’ was told it was a piña colada cheesecake a desert not cake sorry no cake despite afternoon tea going on all around us … dinner private nice room was set up for about 10 people there were 8 of us booked we’d had to pre book our three course dinner which was a shame .. we had been outside having pre dinner drinks they kindly said they would bring them in for us all sadly whilst sitting the young man delivering said drinks accidentally tipped my whole “orange” Aperole Spritz down my especially purchased for the occasion cream outfit he was bless him mortified apologised I tried to be gracious put a brave face on it and headed to the ladies to try and sort it out it was an accident but I had to sit in a very damp outfit for the rest of the evening .. my grievance was no one came to speak to me or offered dry cleaning … dinner looked very nice bread was very tasty couldn’t find any asparagus in my starter but lots of peas !! lamb was delish but not very warm.. we slept well thanks to the room fan supplied … now breakfast time arrived .. the menu states your toast and pastries are on their way as you order well they did arrive but only after an hour and a half !! the whole breakfast scenario everything was cold yes we’re seated outside but it turned up cold porridge was watery the full cooked was missing three components.. smoothie and my eggs Benedict looked and tasted nice .. no consistency of service waiting staff were polite but forgetful slow and quite frankly getting fed up with the complaints from the majority of the tables long waits delivering large tea pots with one tiny teabag no cups and saucers toast delivered eventually after asking several times which turned up either not toasted at all and cold several attempts to have some butter and jams … the issues were endless resembling Faulty Towers which did lightened the mood somew

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 …

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!