THE LODGES, NEW HOUSE FARM, EAST SUSSEX
The air is dense with autumnal mizzle and a cluster of rusty-leaved trees frame the view of Sussex farmland in front of me. This is the picture perfect vista from my weekend mini-break at New House Farm near Etchingham, made even more memorable by the fact that I am enjoying it all from soothing bubbles of an open-air hot tub. Just an hour on the train from London, the six lodges on the estate are former stables, barns and outhouses, lovingly transformed by Nina and Jon (a former PR and DJ respectively). It’s all stripped wooden floors, exposed beams, clever uses of space (some bedrooms are hidden behind sliding doors or built into the rafters), plush bathrooms with giant showers and rolltop baths, and stylish living spaces with big L-shaped sofas and log-burning stoves. Many of the lodges have interconnecting doors, so can ‘grow’ with your party if required, and the entire estate can be hired exclusively – which means you’ll also have the outdoor swimming pool and giant Long Barn all to yourself, too. The latter has a grand dining table, a pool table, leather chesterfields and TV nook, so you could throw a big family party here, or just have the private chef whip up a supper – we do just this on Saturday night and are treated to a three-course meal of root vegetable and coconut soup, slow-roasted lamb with house pickled veg and lemon and tayberry cheesecake. We also try (and love) the local massage therapist, who has a studio tucked away in a cosy potting shed. It’s a restorative two days, a laid-back way of being (Nina brings warm croissants every morning and a takes the kids to feed the sheep) and a break from the bedlam of our usual lives.
TRIP NOTES
Lodges from £160 per night; Thelodgesnhf.com, 07974 919013
The Sussex hills from the open-air hot tub