The Snug Lodge At Otterburn Hall Estate
The Snug Lodge in Otterburn is a three bed, dog friendly lodge that sleeps 5, complete with hot tub, outside deck and fully catered kitchen. Found on the Otterburn Hall Estate that has over thirty privately owned lodges in acres of land, one of them is the gorgeous Snug. I stayed at The Snug for a two night stay at the start of December, and I absolutely loved it. Here’s what I thought…
Disclaimer: I received a complimentary two night stay at The Snug.
Arriving at The Snug Otterburn
It took me the best part of an hour to get up to Otterburn from Newcastle, but it’s a straightforward drive in a beautiful area and the instructions you are sent from the owners before you go are really clear, making it easy to find.
There’s a big map on the entrance to the estate too, so it’s easy to find all the lodges. There isn’t a main reception or contact point, as each one is privately owned, so you go straight to The Snug and park up. There’s private drive parking that fits two cars.
The first thing you come to is the decking area, which is fully enclosed – ideal for dogs as you don’t have to worry about them getting out. The Snug deck is decorated with all sorts of little things that make it so unique, plant pots, a boot storage, table and chairs, bird feeders, squirrel feeders as it’s a red squirrel area, and of course the hot tub sunken into the deck and surrounded by privacy creepers up the fence.
The keys are found in the key safe which you are also sent the code for before you arrive. Stepping into the Snug you can immediately tell why they’ve given it that name. The front of the lodge is glass fronted, so it would be filled with light and beautiful in the summer, but for this winter stay the Snug was decorated for Christmas, and was so welcoming and cosy from the moment you step in.
The Snug
The living area to your left as you walk in has two sofas, filled with cushions and throws, for my stay they were all Christmassy; it was like a grotto. There’s a coffee table, TV, bookshelf filled with books and info on the lodge and local area, and a basket full of board games and entertainment. It’s so homely it didn’t feel like a holiday let at all.
There’s wifi and Sky TV which I know for families can be a really big plus, it also has Netflix, BBC iplayer, Prime etc that you can log into with your own accounts. The TV might not get watched as much in summer, but for a Christmas stay in winter I had the Christmas films on each evening and it was gorgeous.
On the right hand side of the lodge is the kitchen and dining area, with a table by the window all set out properly, and a fully equipped kitchen. When I say fully equipped I really mean it, you could make an entire Sunday roast and bake a cake for dessert for the entire family the things they have in those cupboards. It’s not just cooking they’re fully prepared for, stored away in the cupboards there’s high chairs, hoovers, iron and ironing board, you don’t need to take anything at all like that.
My favourite bit was the lovely seasonal welcome pack that was sitting out on the breakfast bar. They provide these for all their guests, and it included some treats, and a bottle of prosecco for in the fridge.
Going through to the back of the lodge there’s a bathroom with shower and a bath, and again under the sink there’s everything you could possibly need if you’ve forgotten toiletries or hairdryer, literally everything.
The bedrooms are all slightly different, but all have been done with the extra details you’ll find throughout the whole lodge. The first bedroom is a small single, with pretty side table, mirror and decorative bits and cushions. The second bedroom is the main big double bedroom, with plenty of storage and clothes space, and the final bedroom is the twin.
Christmas at The Snug Otterburn
As mentioned my stay was at the start of December, so the Snug had been fully decorated for Christmas. It was so lovely to be in somewhere so cosy that it really got me in the festive spirit. They’d added all the cushions, throws, set the table, added little additions around the windows and on the bedside tables, they really went the extra mile.
I’ve never previously done a Christmas staycation like this before, and it really made me realise how lovely it is to do them. A weekend off amongst all the Christmas shopping and socialising chaos was so good for the soul, it really helped prevent burnout and it was somewhere that I just didn’t want to leave.
All of the lodges around the estate had lights and trees up for Christmas, so walking Arthur in the freezing cold with the pitch black skies above was very festive. Highly recommended!
What’s Nearby?
Although the Snug is self catered, there is a pub and restaurant on the estate. The lodges are set just behind Otterburn Hall and the adjacent Coach House, which has a bar and restaurant that you can book to visit during your stay. Ideal for anyone who doesn’t want to cook and wants to have a few drinks. It’s dog friendly, and they also do a takeaway menu so you could take food back to your lodge.
The town of Otterburn is a 15-20 minute walk away along the road but surrounded by nature, so it’s a lovely walk to do, or it takes just five minutes in the car. There’s a village shop, as well as a couple of pubs there too.
About half an hour away is the Northumberland town of Rothbury, which again is a lovely visit with independent shops and a bakery, a pub and a nice walk around. You could easily visit both Cragside and Wallington Hall from the Snug as day trips too.
Overall I thoroughly enjoyed our stay here and really didn’t want to leave. It’s unusual to have somewhere that has so much – dog friendly, pub on site, a modern new estate that is very secluded, lodges of all sizes ideal for couples and family groups, peace and quiet, nature, and within distance of plenty to see and do.
The owners are so lovely, they have all sorts of information in the lodge for you to make the most of your stay, and they really put so much effort into making it a homely place to be. You get directions, and all the information emailed to you, and if you need anything while you’re there they are more than happy to help.
I think many people get discouraged by getaways like this in winter due to the weather, but with the hot tub and the set up of the Snug it’s a fab getaway at any time of year.
If you’d like to visit the Snug Otterburn yourself, take a look at their Instagram account here, and their website here. I’ve also shared videos, reels, highlights and posts on my Instagram here.
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