Retreat and Rejuvenation: Our Unforgettable Stay at Apple Tree Lodges

Last updated on January 15th, 2024 at 08:59 pm

In May 2022 we were kindly invited to take a trip to Apple Tree Lodges. Set in the Dedham Vale Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty on the Essex-Suffolk border to experience two nights in one of their superb lodges along with time at the Spa on Site at Stoke by Nayland resort.

We were joined by our friends Mark and Hannah. We stayed in the two-bedroom Crispin lodge

The Lodge

The lodges really are a home away from home with everything you would need to spend as many days there as you want.

Fully equipped kitchen with all pots and pans if you fancied a cosy evening in cooking. Fire, TV, outdoor balconies with BBQ (which we fully used), and large comfortable beds, are all set in a very peaceful location within the resort.

To say the staff at the resort were attentive and helpful is a massive understatement. Every member treated us superbly, and no task was too big for any of them (including bringing us plasters from reception when Nick cut his finger, we later discovered the first aid kit in a cupboard)

The grounds around the lodges are kept beautiful with a lovely ten to fifteen-minute wooded walk to the main resort.

Although set on a golf course and only a short distance from the main hotel you really feel like you are enclosed in your own private secluded area with no need to venture out if you don’t feel like it

We made full use of the resort, lunch in the sports bar, breakfast on the patio, and a fabulous three-course evening meal in the lake’s restaurant, looked after by the ever-attentive and lovely Hugo the head waiter (your glass will never go empty with Hugo around)

On our second day, we made the short walk again over to the resort spa. Waiting for us were welcome drinks, robes, and slippers. We had an hour of relaxing by the pool before it was time for our Rasul mud therapy.

This consisted of us generously rubbing four different kinds of mud over our bodies and faces before sitting in the sauna for 30 minutes, finishing off with a refreshing shower

We love our food and again we weren’t disappointed on the second day. Lunch was waiting for us after this, an Epic Charcuterie Board loaded with nibbles and sweet treats (afternoon tea is also available if you prefer) a bottle of prosecco helped it all go down nicely

A quick chill by the pool and time spent in the hot tub until it was time for our treatment of choice. Hannah and I had a very relaxing facial and shoulder massage while Nick had a head massage and Mark treated himself to a back massage

We took along food to use on the BBQ and enjoyed a lovely relaxing evening in the lodge, on the balcony, and by the fire

We made our own gin at the nearby Suffolk gin distillery, one of the companies that partner with Stoke by Nayland if you are looking for things to do in between being pampered and relaxing

You can see more of our time at Apple Tree lodges in the two vlogs we filmed while there: