Summer Lodge Country House Hotel

A luxurious couple of days for my birthday left us feeling pampered and spoilt. The staff were charming and engaged, ensuring we had everything we wanted. The gardens were beautiful, pool and spa were spotless. The bed was huge and very comfortable. Our package included a 3 course meal at the hotel and a 3 course meal at the Acorn Inn in the village .. both were superb. Home made shortbread in the room was delicious as were the special birthday chocolates and welcome glass of fizz. Quintessential old style charm in abundance.

Summer lodge is a perfect English countryside escape. It maybe a little heavy on the chintz (which I’d normally avoid) but it all adds to that English country manor escape it’s trying to portray. The staff in general are lovely, so welcoming and friendly (breakfast waitress on our last day could’ve have been a little more helpful) but I can honestly say the others are so lovely and go out of their way that just 1 member of staff can not undo all the others best. The cocktails and drinks are superbly made and very delicious. The food (our favourite part of any stay away as we are big foodies) was very mixed. Breakfast was average, although we did find it odd that an English country manor does not offer a full English breakfast, and the toast was unfortunately far to thin and crispy that was cold by the time we got it. What we did have was nice but nothing to write home about, which surprised us greatly as dinner was absolutely amazing, they were able to cater for my fish allergy too and the menu was informative to for all types of allergens. Hubby would go as far to say the desserts was some of the best he has ever eaten. The cream tea was also lovely, with a good choice of teas available although we had coffee, and being illy coffee that was served it went down very nicely with the scones. The common areas through out the hotel are inviting and comfortable, open fires in some areas, staff discreetly nearby if you need anything without being over bearing or intrusive. Now on to our room, We booked a courtyard suite. It was big and airy, with a huge bed. A small walk in wardrobe, and good size bathroom. There was also a small patio area outside but being January it was a bit to cold to make use of. The decor was pleasant, and the bed comfy. We also made use the spa, it was a clean peaceful area with fairly good facilities, however the treatments we felt were average. Both hubby and I had full body aromatherapy massages and a facial each. However i found my facial left my skin dry and sore, hubbys however left him with dewy soft skin so very mixed reviews and experience with those. We did find the heating was always a little to high, 30 degrees in the spa which did feel a little to warm, and our room was set to 24 degrees on arrival which was also a little too warm, room was easily adjusted though and also had good aircon (good for the ladies at certain points in there life). Breakfast in the conservatory was also a little warm but only had to ask and it was cooled down to a more comfortable level. After staying at several red carnation properties, summer lodge has become one of my favourites and I’m looking forward to returning in summer and seeing the beautiful gardens alive with flowers. The village it’s set in is very quaint and beautiful, I highly recommend a walk around to appreciate the area. The local bakery is also another place definitely worth a visit, the cakes are amazing, As is the local pub (the acorn) full of friendl

Lovely way to spend time with my daughter, enjoying the sun baked spa pool with a glass of lemon water and fresh fruit at hand. Followed by a wonderful facial which left us feeling refreshed and yet calm and relaxed and ready for the weekend.

We spent a long weekend here for a special celebration with some close friends. We booked three of the cottages which were all different and all charming. The beds were extremely comfortable and the bathrooms equipped with luxurious towels and toiletries. There were welcome drinks and a lovely bowl of fresh fruit on arrival. In our cottage we enjoyed the fire and a very comfortable sitting room. We used the hot tub attached to our cottage one afternoon, it was well-equipped and the room heated. We took breakfast in the main house, with a very good choice of dishes available to set us up for each day. On the first evening we dined in the main house. The meal was outstanding, certainly worthy of a Michelin star. With this dinner we chose the flight of wines suggested to accompany each dish, an excellent decision and avoided a compromise on choosing wines by the bottle. The second evening we ate in the Acorn Inn, another delicious dinner and a relaxed setting for the evening. The service in the hotel and the inn was unfailingly good. A couple of our friends brought their labrador and she was given a warm welcome with treats provided in their cottage. We would certainly return!

We've just come back from a few days at Summer Lodge and we can thoroughly recommend it. It's a real country house hotel in pretty gardens in a lovely part of the country. The staff are friendly and helpful and the food is excellent. Our room was large and well-appointed. It did not surprise us to learn that many of the guests are regulars - we may well join them!

Summer Lodge is a wonderful find in the middle of rural Dorset. We were welcomed most warmly by Kat on reception and informed we'd been given a complimentary upgrade to our room, which was most welcome and generous as we'd had to book a couple of nights away at the last minute due to the cancellation of another long-anticipated holiday. The hotel is very well appointed, all the staff were extremely friendly and helpful (gardeners, spa team, bar, restaurant housekeeping and front of house) and the pool, spa and massage facilities were lovely. The food was excellent too! Though normally well outside our price range for a short break the whole experience was greatly restorative and well worth going. Thanks to the whole Red Carnation team. Thoroughly recommended!