The Retreat - UK50421

Reviews (10)

• Confirmed Guest

  A beautiful place, very well equipped for dogs. Lovely setting and grounds with very friendly and hospitable owners. We only visited locations that were south of the property, due to the closure of the A31 for the duration of our stay. Highly recommend the costal walks and Moors valley country park. Lots to do for children so everyone was happy.

• Confirmed Guest

  Honest review after a two-week stayWe stayed for two weeks, so some of this probably won’t matter if you’re only here for a couple of nights. Overall, we had a good stay. It’s a really unusual place, the kids loved it and there’s plenty to like, but there are also a few things I’d want to know before booking for a longer stay.The property itself is quirky and fun. The sofa is comfy, the beds are surprisingly comfortable and the huge shower is great. WiFi was good and we always felt secure.Being dog friendly was a big plus for us. There are poo bags and bins provided, although judging by the amount of poo left around, not everyone had quite grasped what they were for! There were four lodges with dogs while we were there and we seemed to be the only ones religiously picking it up. It got to the point where we couldn’t just let the kids use the garden without checking where they were stepping. Obviously, that’s down to the other guests rather than the hosts, but it did make a difference to our stay.We had a lovely welcome with homemade scones and Prosecco waiting for us. There were plenty of towels and dressing gowns, plus some nice blankets for sitting outside when it got chilly.We hardly saw the hosts, which suited us perfectly. Someone came to sort the hot tub chemicals while we were there, but otherwise we were left to enjoy the place.There are some lovely walks about 15 minutes away by car and a supermarket around 10 minutes away.A few things weren’t quite so good.If you’re staying for two weeks, bring toilet roll. One roll for four people for two weeks is… optimistic . We’d also bring cleaning products, bin bags and tea towels.The fridge is tiny. Four people trying to fit two weeks’ worth of food in it was basically Tetris. Ours also seemed to have two settings: freezing everything or leaking water everywhere.The kitchen could do with some attention too. Some of the chopping boards really need replacing, the baking trays were greasy and the frying pans had dried-on food and had definitely seen better days. We ended up buying our own frying pan.If you have younger children, be aware that most of the crockery is breakable. There were a couple of small plastic cups, but that was about it.The garden is something I’d consider if you’re bringing dogs. It isn’t a private, fully enclosed garden, so it didn’t work particularly well for our two idiots. Our Boxer could get through some of the gaps in the upstairs garden area, although to be fair, our dogs would probably regard any boundary as a personal challenge... Other, more sensible dogs may have no problem at all.The smoking area is right outside the property. We don’t smoke and, unfortunately, the wind was blowing smoke up towards us when other guests were using it, which wasn’t particularly pleasant.There were also some nails sticking up from the decking. I imagine the extreme heat hasn’t helped with the decking moving around, but they definitely need sorting and the strength of chemicals in the hot tub left my son with a very severe rash. The beds themselves were really comfortable, although several of the slats underneath were broken.And then we had mice. Honestly, we’re not going to blame the hosts for that. It’s a rural property and sometimes these things happen. We told the host, asked about humane traps and she didn’t have any, but she did give us an alternative way of keeping our food secure. She was really apologetic and actually went above and beyond afterwards, bringing us wine and sweets for the kids. We appreciated that.One other thing worth knowing is the location. It’s not actually in the heart of the New Forest, so don’t expect to walk straight out of the door into woodland. We didn’t find that a problem because there are some lovely places to walk a short drive away, and it was a convenient base for getting around.So, would we stay again?Probably, yes. There are things that need improving, particularly the kitchen equipment, fridge, decking but none of them ruined our holiday.The kids absolutely loved the place, the welcome was lovely and we liked the fact that we were left to get on with our holiday. For somewhere a bit different, particularly if you have children, it’s definitely worth considering. Just pack extra loo roll, don’t expect a giant fridge and, if your dogs are as stupid as ours, bring a lead! 😂

• Debbie Bayfield

  We absolutely loved our stay here at the retreat . We would love to return !Sally was so welcoming and kind and the location was so good for us for dog walks and also getting about exploring the new forest.My little dog was a bit yappy but Sally never made me feel uncomfortable or unwelcome, it was like it’s named a retreat !We enjoyed sitting out every day and into the late night watching and hearing all the wildlife around . The bats and owls and daytime birds too ! Sally feeds the birds from a little tree out the front which is lovely , we enjoyed watching them from the verandah and she allowed me to leave a few shallow cat littler trays which I bought filled up with water as it’s been so dry lately and hot . She even went out herself a purchased a bird bath if you love rustic and surrounding wildlife you will love it here . Can’t wait to come back someday maybe .