I have stayed at plenty of lodges in my time, and I can honestly say after my recent weekend spent at Heathergate Boutique Park just outside of Hexham, the lodge I stayed in was one of the best I’ve experienced. I stayed in the Arwen Prestige spa lodge, one of only two of this calibre in the park, but there were many other lodges similar to this to both stay in or purchase. 

Disclaimer: I received a complementary two night stay at Arwen Lodge at Heathergate Boutique Park for the purpose of this review. 

Heathergate Boutique Park offers a secluded, and private country base from which to explore Northumberland. On arrival just on the outskirts of Hexham, you drive past the reception building and on-site state of the art gym, pool and spa building, through the park until you get to the private gated area for the 70 holiday homes and lodges. The gates are closed overnight and you are provided with the code.

There are various lodges here, and Arwen was situated at the far end, right on the corner facing across the Northumberland countryside. There is parking for two cars, and plenty of space between lodges. 

Unique To Arwen Prestige Spa Lodge

The first thing I noticed about the lodge itself was simply the sheer size of the deck; I’ve never seen any quite like it across Northumberland or the Lake District. The decking wrapped the entire length and far end of the lodge, was fully enclosed and gated towards the back of the lodge where you enter from. Around the front, it opened up into a huge deck space.

There were three seating areas on the deck, two surrounding coffee tables with cushions provided in a big box off to the side, and one dining table with chairs perfect for al fresco meals. Combined, there was more than enough room to sit 6 – 8 people outside comfortably. 

Despite the seating areas there was still plenty of deck space, and to the left hand side was the gorgeous sunken hot tub that seats 6, and what makes this lodge so unique – the sauna and steam room too.

Together, all three make up the spa lodge, and you could genuinely have your own private spa day from the comfort of your own lodge. Robes are provided on each bed too, so you just need to bring slippers or flip flops, and a bottle!

Prestige Lodge Tour

You can access the lodge itself either through the side door just through the gate, or from the far end of the lodge through sliding doors that lead into the main living area, inside dining space and kitchen. The main living area of the lodge was all open plan, including the fully equipped kitchen with everything you could possibly need.

It’s even big enough to have a central island with high stools – always useful if you’re cooking together or enjoy the sociable aspect of the kitchen. As well as seating at the island there is a big dining table between the kitchen and the living space where you could enjoy family or group meals.

The main lounge area has two big, comfortable sofas, an electric heater for cosy evenings during colder months, and a big wall mounted smart TV. Wifi was provided too, but I’ll be honest it wasn’t always the strongest. As well as this living space there was another, tucked away in the other half of the lodge facing the deck. 

This was more like a quiet nook room, with a bookshelf and two arm chairs, both looking out over the deck and the hills in view. If you were to purchase a lodge like this as a holiday home, you could easily turn it into a gym space, a play room or another bedroom depending on your preference.

The bedrooms filled the remaining right hand side of the lodge, with a massive king master complete with dressing table, TV, and two fitted wardrobe spaces for storage, both with full length mirrors, and an en suite bathroom. It was so big it had a stand alone tub as well as a shower.

The second bedroom was a twin, again with a TV, dressing table area and a door leading to the main bathroom also accessible from the hallway. There was another shower in this one – handy if you are making the most of the hot tub, sauna and steam room.

For this particular lodge the bedrooms slept four, but the sofa was also a sofa bed, and I spotted a proper camp bed in one of the cupboards too. It could easily sleep 6 – 8 due to the size of it, and the two bathrooms would make this more than doable. 

I’ll be honest – in total it was all bigger than my flat, and absolutely gorgeous decorated to such a high standard. It really felt like a luxury lodge, more so than most I have stayed in. It was exceptionally modern, with full power appliances, fridge and freezer space, and lots of storage. 

 For a more visual tour, take a look at my Instagram reel here.

How I Spent My Weekend at HeatherGate Boutique Park

I arrived at the lodge on the Friday afternoon, and the weather was lovely so I made food in, and enjoyed the entire evening outside in the hot tub. The sun set over the fields, so it was a beautiful view to enjoy with a glass (bottle..) of wine. 

The Saturday wasn’t great weather, but it was so close to Hexham that we made the most of it and drove into the town for a wander around the farmers market. It’s a great town with plenty of cafes to grab a coffee, shops to pick up some local bits, and restaurants if you’d like to eat out during your stay.

With the rain easing slightly in the afternoon we went back to the lodge to get back in the hot tub and make use of the sauna again. Grey skies definitely didn’t put a dampener on the weekend when you have such amazing facilities to use right there in your own lodge.

It was so peaceful even with surrounding lodges being occupied with guests, you could fully switch off and relax, read a book, or watch some Netflix. I did all of the above.

On the Saturday evening we decided to get a takeaway curry, and we were given a recommendation from one of the managers at Heathergate Park. He suggested Zika Indian Restaurant, based in Hexham and it was less than a ten minute drive from the lodge to collect it. The food was fabulous so I’d really recommend it if you’re staying. 

As well as Hexham, the historic town of Corbridge is also close by, as well as Hadrian’s Wall, so if you enjoy getting out and about then there is plenty to do nearby, you’re also in day trip distance of the Lake District and wider Northumberland too. 

Heathergate Boutique Park Site Facilities

There were only two of these specific spa lodges that I could see on the site itself, but in total there are 70 holiday homes here as well as 8 classed as lodges. It felt like a very intimate park, especially when you pass through the initial static caravan section into the gated lodge area. It was nice, quiet and  high end feel to it that some sites don’t have. 

Heathergate Park has lodges on offer for both stays, including dog friendly ones in some of the homes, and also to purchase if you’re in the market for a holiday home. The site operates 11 months of the year, and all your maintenance, site servicing and even cleaning can be taken care of for you by the on site team. 

I can very much see the appeal, especially if you have dogs or pets, of simply packing a small bag every weekend and heading off to your own private sanctuary, that is fully equipped with everything you might need. Staycations have certainly increased in popularity over the last few years for that reason, and this is an ideal spot to base yourself.

It was such a clean park, with plenty of bins including dog, rubbish and recycling located conveniently around. Please note that although the site is dog friendly, this particular lodge wasn’t if you’re just looking to stay.

The on site pool and gym is an obvious perk, and you can book a time slot online if you want to visit either to ensure they don’t get too crowded. As we had the hot tub, sauna and steam room at our disposal we barely left the lodge. 

Full details of Heathergate Boutique Park, the lodges to stay at for a short break, or enquiries for holiday home ownership can all be found on the Heathergate Park website here.