Lee F
October 2016
We arrived just after 3, collected keys from self-service key safe (brilliant idea). Easy to find with good instructions provided. Cottage was impeccably clean. All fit and finishings were modern and in tip-top condition. Clearly maintained with a lot of (well deserved) pride. It had all the mod cons we could need for a week away.
The lodge itself was very sizeable, with each room on it's own thermostat with underfloor heating. Although made of timber, it was exceptionally well insulated, and a loud TV in the living area was inaudible from the master bedroom with the doors closed. All in all, a beautiful and luxurious living environment. But also practically thought out, and luxurious without being pretentious. There's none of that nerve-destroying-white-carpets throughout thing going on here, you walk in onto a tiled floor in the hallway and can drop muddy boots straight into the utility room, and there's a full set of polycarbonate glasses to sup from when using the hot tub. It's properly usable luxury and feels homely.
The lodge feels nicely secluded, and is on a stretch of beautiful, arable farmland. The hot tub is very private and not overlooked. Soaking in the hot tub at night under the stars and/or light drizzle was blissful.
When we went there I had been through a hellish couple of months at work. My skin had gone to pot, and I was suffering chronic sciatica. By the end of our stay my back felt fine, my skin had cleared up, and I felt as well and relaxed as I can remember feeling in years. Even my wife, who has chronic PTSD and suffers very bad agoraphobia when she leaves the house, felt safe and relaxed there.
In short, we both found Heathcliff Lodge to be as close to perfection as we could have hoped for. We cannot get over how good value it was (would have been 2-3x that price down our end in the Cotswolds) and will be booking again soon to return next year. It really was that good.