Chewton Glen - The Treehouses

Back in December I celebrated my 34th Birthday, and I use the word 'celebrated' loosely as since passing the 30 years mark each birthday reminds me that I am steam rolling towards 40 and middle age. But age is of course just a number and, despite being a 30 plus blogger, I am still twenty something in my mind with few commitments and a passion for exploring. 

After three and a half years of marriage my husband thankfully knows me quite well and, importantly, knows better than to throw me any kind of party or surprise me with anything that involves me wearing high heels and being in a loud environment ( *ok, now I really am showing my age!). Let's just say that these days my idea of fun is relaxing and enjoying little life luxuries.

As the big day approached he had to let me in on the surprise that he was taking me away somewhere for my birthday so that I could be prepared and together we could organise where all the pets where going to stay. With three dogs and two cats the exciting spontaneity of last minute breaks away or surprise trips has gone out of the window. But with some strategic planning and preparation we are fortunate enough to be able to hit the road quite frequently.    

Once we were on our way the only information I was provided with was that we were headed towards the New Forest. The only place I could recall hinting at wanting to stay was Chewton Glen. After having seen inside the hotel in Pointless Blogs vlogs  it immediately got added to both my wish list and my travel hit list. I quickly googled 'Chewton Glen' on my phone in the car and saw that it is indeed situated within the New Forest! I didn't want to get my hopes up but at the same time I couldn't help but squeal with excitement (* inside & silently so as not to ruin the surprise!).   

By the time we arrived at the hotel it was dark so this really just added to the mystery and my anticipation as I couldn't see any clues as to where we were. It was only once we had parked up and walked towards the main reception area that I saw the big 'CG' on the wall and knew that I was in for a real treat. I turned around to Andy and shouted "No you didn't!?!?", to which he replied "yes I did".

I don't think I have ever arrived anywhere as magical as Chewton Glen felt that evening. One of the only perks of having a birthday in December is that everywhere feels extremely festive and pretty with twinkling fairy lights. It really did feel like we had stepped into a winter wonderland and as soon I got there I knew I would never want to leave! 

Check in was seamless and we were treated like royalty from the moment we stepped inside the hotel. People couldn't do enough for us and the staff were extremely attentive, even apologising to me when I got in their way! Before I knew it we were being loaded onto a little electric golf cart which had the numberplate 'TH 1" on the front. It took me a few seconds to register that this stood for Tree House but when I did realise where we were being whisked off to I could barely contain my excitement.  

Arriving at night time meant that we couldn't really see our Treehouse from the outside or our surroundings and it was at that moment that I slightly regretted convincing Andy to spend all day in Brighton. If I had known where we were going I would have arrived at least three hours early!

We were shown around our Treehouse by a very helpful member of staff who took the time to show us how everything worked and I was completely blown away by everything. The little touches and attention to detail was far superior to anywhere I have ever stayed before and I couldn't quite believe that this was going to be our home for the next two nights.   

It's quite hard to put into words the sheer amazingness of the Chewton Glen Treehouses and I would urge you to watch my vlog and room tour in order to get a full idea of everything. 

I loved everything about our Treehouse and it really did feel like our own luxurious retreat away from everything. I loved the fact that we had a log burner within the cosy open plan living & kitchen area. The bathroom was incredible and the bathtub was so big it felt like I could swim in it! The bed was beyond comfortable and the complimentary robes, slippers and hot water bottles made it all the more heavenly. Did I mention that we had a hot tub on our balcony too!? 

Waking up in the Treehouse was the best way to kick off my birthday. When I got up early to use the toilet and draw back the blinds I gasped at the view. We were completely surrounded by trees and woodland! I quickly woke Andy up and drew back every single curtain and blind so that he could take it all in from the comfort of the bed. It was hard to take it all in and it was even harder to force ourselves outside for a trip to the spa. You know you're staying in an amazing hotel when you literally don't want to leave your room! But off to the spa we went ...

We spent my birthday afternoon taking advantage of the spa facilities which include a lovely big indoor pool, a hydrotherapy pool and an outdoor hot tub. Despite wanting to get back to the seclusion of our Treehouse, I was glad that we ventured outside and discovered more about what the hotel has to offer. 

For lunch we decided to head to the set price buffet by the pool which, after initially inspecting, offered some great veggie and vegan options. I was actually pretty surprised by how good the buffet was as I had expected somewhere like this to be quite meat orientated. Almost every dish on offer was veggie friendly, with the vast majority also being vegan friendly. The food was really delicious and it was also my favourite kind of food - jacket potatoes, salad, rice, beans, soup etc. All totally yummy!  

I think one of my favourite things about staying at Chewton Glen was just how relaxed it felt and how we were really able to switch off and relax. Doing very little felt so good and simply enjoying the luxury of the Treehouse and each others company was more than enough. There was no pressure to do anything other than relax.  

When our two nights were over and it was time to check out I genuinely felt so sad. I really didn't want to leave this beautiful place and head back to reality. I could have easily stayed there all week and our two nights seemed to fly by. I wasn't ready to say good bye to the Treehouse! We immediately talked about if and when we could return. I'm not sure any other hotel before has made such a lasting impression on us as Chewton Glen has. 

Before we left we decided to walk around the hotel grounds and have more of a look around as we hadn't done this on our arrival. We discovered a really picturesque walk down to the beach which was stunning and i'd really recommend doing this if you do stay there. It didn't take very long at all and it was the perfect opportunity to take some scenic snaps of the gorgeous surroundings.   

It really was the best birthday ever and I feel so lucky to have been spoilt so rotten by my husband. It was a trip we'll always remember and hopefully, at some point in the future, we'll get to do again!

If you'd like to see more of our Chewton Glen Treehouse then be sure to check out Andy's vlog too as he managed to capture some great drone footage which is well worth a watch!

Happy Travels!