I always think of treehouses as being magical places where
you can go to escape from the stresses and strains of the world. And that was
exactly what I needed, some “me
time”. I wanted to get up close and personal with nature, albeit with a touch
of pampering in regal and rustic surroundings. So, I decided to check into a
treehouse suite at Chewton Glen, one of the UK’s best spa hotels, on the edge
of the New Forest in Hampshire.
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| Treehouse |
A stay at Chewton Glen is one of life’s greatest pleasures.
I love the way that this hotel has married tradition and heritage with
modernity and innovation. Therefore, I wasn’t expecting this to be a stay in
any old treehouse and I wasn’t disappointed. Chewton Glen had reinterpreted the
definition of a treehouse and given a new meaning to the term luxurious.
I was whisked from reception, for a couple of minutes’ ride,
in a buggy over to the six eco treehouses, comprising 12 suites, one to be my
“home” for the night.
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| Outside the treehouse |
This slice of heaven, supported on stilts, was nuzzled in a
secluded wooded valley. And, no you didn’t have to climb up a ladder to
get in, the entrance was ground level. Decked out in a soft palette of white,
muted grey, and wood, this apartment achieved the wow factor with its amazing
design and the leafy, dreamy view which welcomed me out of the floor-to-ceiling
windows in both the bedroom and living room.
There were other touches such as night-lights shaped like
owls, a wood-burning stove,
which added a romantic flavour on a cold winter’s night, a kitchenette packed
with goodies including cake and chocolate as well as a good coffee machine and
interesting books on shelves which conceal a secret staircase to a loft, kitted
out with beds – ideal for kids. The hot-tub, on the balcony, was the perfect place for drinking
a glass of champagne and watching the stars. If I was a movie star, I couldn’t have expected anything more
lavish.
Once you have arrived in your treehouse, you feel reluctant to leave, but a treatment at
the spa is a must. I had a superb Haute Couture facial using products by beauty
guru, Linda Meredith. It included a wonderfully relaxing head, neck and
shoulder massage.
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| Inside treehouse |
Sitting in the bath watching television, I was almost
tempted to have room service and not go to dinner in the hotel. But, as a
breakfast hamper containing fresh fruit, juices, breads and cereals and cold
cuts would be delivered to me next morning through a cleverly concealed
delivery hatch, I decided I could linger in my cosy abode all morning.
Besides Vetvier, the hotel’s exquisite restaurant, whose
head chef is Andrew Dubourg, previously at London’s Wolsey and The Square, is a
great experience in fine dining. For a starter, I had smoked salmon, followed
by the most succulent and delicious Dover Sole. The desserts were too tempting
to resist. I opted for the Fig Carpaccio. The head sommelier, Oscar Malek,
suggested trying different wines to match each course. I even tried a dessert
wine, Dandelion Vineyards “Legacy of the Barossa” 30 year-old Pedro Ximenez
Pedro Ximenez which comes from Australia and is bursting with candied fruit
flavour. A perfect end to a wonderful meal.
The hotel
and treehouse are perfection
personified. I would have given anything to have hibernated there until spring.
By Daralyn Danns
For further information visit www.chewtonglen.com
