After a manic start to the year we were so excited to be invited to Woodland Park Lodges on the Shropshire-Wales border to experience the latest addition to the park – the luxury Treehouse Lodges. Tucked away on the outskirts of the vibrant market town of Ellesmere, from the moment you arrive at Woodland Park the pressures of every day life seem to just melt away. Set in 52 acres of ancient woodland, it’s the perfect place to take a breath, spend some family time together, and simply RELAX!

Treehouse Lodges 

Woodland Park are hugely proud of their four luxury Treehouse lodges which have been hand crafted to seamlessly fit within the surrounding woodlands. There is a mix of two and three bedroomed lodges and as a family of five we were excited to stay in the three bedroomed lodge, Bluebell.

The Treehouse Lodges come with private parking surrounded by grassy areas, woodland walks and a stone path leading directly to your lodge. The outside is so breathtaking, almost as though we were walking into a fairy tale, and as we stepped inside it was clear to see that same attention to detail had been carried through to the interior too.

Open-plan lounge and kitchen 

Each lodge features an open-plan living and dining area with a fully equipped kitchen complete with all of the mod-cons. With beautiful exposed beams and panoramic views, the living area fully immerses you into the woodland experience whilst enveloping you in such cosy warmth.

In the kitchen, alongside the expected appliances, you’ll find a dishwasher and washing machine, a Nespresso coffee machine, a separate wine fridge, a microwave, toaster and  kettle. It’s those added luxuries which really add to a stay such as this and it always feels like we’ve hit the jackpot to be able to wash our clothes before we leave knowing that when we unpack there isn’t a mountain of laundry to tackle!

In the living area you’ll find a beautiful feature fire place and a 55″ smart TV with included access to Netflix which the children were delighted about. The large corner couch is perfect for larger families to relax and cosy up in the evening, plus the decorative additions give a really personal feel so you feel instantly at home.

Three bedrooms 

To the rear of the lodge you’ll find the bedrooms with the first offering twin beds, wardrobe and storage space and a bedside table. The decor is so stylish and combined with the wooden beams creates such a calming sense of being amongst nature long after the curtains are closed and the lights go down. Even with three children that sense of calm wasn’t lost on them!

Each bedroom has its own smart TV mounted on the wall which is a really lovely addition and a much welcomed surprise for the children. When you’re kids are actually asking to go to bed so they can watch TV before they fall asleep, you really can’t ask for more than that! They each slept like babies the entire weekend too, as did I!

The second bedroom was a double although this can be made into a twin also if requested. Again the same decor continued throughout with each room equally welcoming as the next. One thing we all instantly noticed was the quality of the bedding, from wonderfully fluffed up pillows to a perfect temperature duvet, all covered in crisp white linen which made climbing into bed feel like such a luxury.

You can find soft white towels in each bedroom to use throughout your stay as well as huge fluffy bath sheets for use in the hot tub. I love that separate towels are provided for the hot tub, especially with three children who wanted to be in and out of it all day, and this attention to detail allows you to just relax knowing that everything has been perfectly thought out so you don’t have to think ahead.

The master bedroom almost mirrors the second apart from the addition of an en-suite bathroom which is perfect, especially if you’re staying in the Treehouse lodges with extended family or friends. As was the case with every inch of the lodge, the bathrooms were exceptionally clean and had a selection of toiletries to use during our stay.

The main bathroom was lovely and spacious which a huge walk in shower which was perfect for washing down the kids straight out of the hot tub. The bathroom lighting and main corridor work on a motion sensor which was perfect for the kids getting up in the night and a much more eco-friendly way of ensuring that lights are not left on un-necessarily.

Private elevated balcony

To the outside of each lodge you will find a private elevated balcony which is accessed via the outside of the lodge, the main entrance or patio doors from the lounge. Although the other lodges are located within the same area, the balcony’s are designed in a way to make sure you aren’t directly over looked by a neighbouring lodge which is perfect when you’re enjoying some outdoor time with the family.

On each balcony you will find a private hot tub, a BBQ and garden furniture to relax on plus there’s also a hose pipe, a dog food and water bowl and an outdoor storage box too. No matter how many hot tubs we enjoy, it is always the children’s favourite thing about any stay and we had literally been at the lodge ten minutes before they had dived straight in.

There’s something particularly lovely about enjoying a warm hot tub when it’s cold outside and throughout the weekend we were in and out of it through the day and the night. With multi-coloured lighting and various speed of bubbles, the kids were in their element playing mermaids, performing songs and dance routines and hosting our very own Britain’s Got Talent competition. Needless to say, the rare child-free moments I got to enjoy it were definitely the most relaxing!

That said, even with three hyped up kids I loved those moments just being silly and playing games, enjoying some heat warming our bones after yet another cold spell outside. The views out from the balcony are beautiful and at night you can see hundreds of stars and the moon peeking through the trees which was really special. It’s definitely one of those places you want to stay in forever.

Superfast Wi-Fi 

When we weren’t enjoying the outdoors or basking in the hot tub, we were really pleased to discover that there is super fast broadband in the lodges. It meant that the kids could spend some time doing the things they love to do, such as the VR headset or their games consoles, and in turn Gaz and I could do the things we love to do such as read a book or just lie down and take a moment to enjoy the peace!

In the evenings we enjoyed choosing a movie from Netflix and watching it together which is such a simple pleasure but something which can be difficult to find time for at home when life feels so manic. I love that although we had Wi-Fi to stay connected with Lewis at home or connect to the internet, we could still switch off and just be together. It’s so nice to have that balance rather than feeling completely isolated with a complete lack of signal.

Dog-Friendly

One of our favourite things about the Treehouse lodges are that they are completely dog-friendly which meant that Oscar could come away with us. Most of the time the places we visit aren’t dog-friendly, even when they advertise they are, and so having him with us was such a lovely treat and he had the most incredible time. It’s worth noting that you can only bring a maximum of two dogs and they aren’t allowed to be left alone in the lodge at any time. Luckily there are a number of local walks, both in the park and the surrounding areas, and the local pubs are all dog-friendly with one we found in Ellesmere even having a separate doggy menu!

Woodland walks 

With the accommodation being of such a high standard at Woodland Park, the need to leave the park itself was minimal. Usually we are raring to explore the local area and yet other than a walk into Ellesmere for a meal, we literally stayed at the resort the entire time. Although there are no facilities here at the park bar a small shop at reception, we found that faced with no planned activities, fancy swimming pools or adventure play areas, the children totally entertained themselves which couldn’t be more perfect for a weekend such as this.

Luckily our children are nature-lovers through and through and so they revelled in finding the biggest sticks or the prettiest stones. Eva enjoyed putting her new camera to good use on the woodland walk taking photos of nature, Harry and Megan and of course Oscar. The woodland walk is definitely one of those paths which you long to see in every season, I imagine it will be stunning when Spring arrives and the snowdrops finally bloom.

The woodland walk takes you around the park through a trail where you can meander a little off path to enjoy the views. There’s a seating area over looking the pond which is a great stop to take a breath or in Eva’s case, capture some more memories of our stay.

If you’re looking for a longer walk during your stay you’ll find an information pack in your lodge which shares various routes you can take directly from the park. It also lists recommendations for pubs, take-outs, local shops, attractions and places to visit a little further afield. With it being on the Shropshire/Wales border it’s a great base for exploring both nearby Welsh towns and Shropshire itself too.

But for us, on a weekend stay, just doing as little as possible was exactly what we wanted to achieve from our visit and I think it did us all the world of good to just slow down and embrace some good old fashioned fresh air and each others company. Family life can be hard sometimes juggling work and every day chores, weekend football matches and play dates, and there is something about Woodland Park which just makes all of that chaos fade away.

I know when we look back on our stay here we will remember the silence of the evening as we counted the stars from the hot tub or the silliness of the kids splashing and singing in their mermaid tails. We’ll remember that lovely cosy warmth as we snuggled up in our pyjamas and watched Peter Rabbit with a bowl of popcorn, the way that Harry insisted on carrying the worlds biggest sticks like walking poles on the woodland trail and Eva’s comedy frustration when Megan didn’t pose properly for her photos. I think if I had to sum up our weekend I’d say it was the most luxurious and relaxing family time together which is a wonderful combination and gave us a much needed boost through to the Spring.

Book now! 

You can book your own stay at Woodland Park Lodges via their website www.woodlandparklodges.co.uk where dogs currently go free on arrivals up to 31st December on bookings made before the 31st March. We can’t recommend it enough for families wanting some quality time together, friends looking for a relaxing getaway or couples in need of a romantic escape to the woods.

** We were invited to stay at Woodlank Park Lodges to create content. All words and opinions are my own **