CABÜ By The Sea

I always love kicking off a new year with a little break away somewhere and this year has been no different! After seeing many bloggers recently promoting their idyllic stays at Cabü I admit to being well and truly influenced into booking a mini break there for ourselves. If ever there was evidence that social influencing works this would be it! 

Anyway, after looking them up online and seeing how reasonable their prices are compared to other cabin breaks (Soho Farmhouse I'm looking at you), I made no hesitation in securing our dates. The fact that we could take the dogs with us was an added bonus and made the decision even easier. 

When we pulled up to Cabü By The Sea on the Kent coast we were immediately wowed by the exclusive feel of the gated off development. Behind the gates sit a small number of stylish and contemporary cabins which wouldn't look out of place in Scandinavia. I immediately fell in love with the grassland surroundings and was impressed by the location which is a stones throw from St Mary's Bay Beach.  

We booked to stay in cabin number 4 which is the dog friendly Shore House which can sleep up to 4 people. I couldn't wait to get inside and have a look around and when we did we wasn't disappointed. It was everything we had hoped for and more! 

I think one of the most impressive aspects of these cabins, aside from the design, is the view. To have floor to ceiling windows and glass doors which face directly out towards the unspoilt greenery and the sea felt like a real luxury we haven't ever experienced before in this country. The whole place just feels very unique and individual which made me immediately fall in love with it. 

My favourite part of the cabin was definitely the open plan living space. The log burner, the view and the stylish furniture gave me all of the cosy vibes I was hoping for. Cabü certainly ticks all the 'hygge' boxes! In the evenings we enjoyed lighting the fire, drinking lots of tea and playing with the wooden games provided, Connect 4 being our favourite. 

One of the bedrooms in this cabin is up quite a high ladder and sits within the loft space which I think would be a real hit with any kids staying here. We had invited my Mum to come and stay a night with us but sadly she couldn't make it but I think on reflection it was probably a good thing as neither me or her would have been navigating that ladder! 

The main ground floor bedroom was beautiful and again has the same floor to ceiling windows and doors which open out onto a decked area. The bed was gorgeously comfy and the bedding felt very luxurious which made it especially hard to get up in the morning! 

Cabü is a self catering break so we did take a few essentials along with us but it's worth noting that there is a small shop on site which offers a surprisingly wide variety of products including bread, ready meals and treats. There is also a mini bar in the room with a variety of snacks and drinks. We were both surprised by how reasonable everything was priced and it made such a nice change to not feel as though we were being completely ripped off. The kitchen is well equipped and complimentary tea and coffee is also provided. There are also lots of pubs and cafes around the area if you want to eat out. If you're vegan I would recommend taking along some milk, butter etc with you. 

I think the main thing which made this break away so memorable and enjoyable was the quick and easy access to the beach. We couldn't wait to throw on our wellies and get outside to explore with the dogs. We couldn't quite believe we had this beautiful place practically to ourselves! Ok, the weather wasn't anything to write home about and pretty typical of a miserable January, but personally I love the Winter and I think everything is just so much more atmospheric this time of year. I mean look at those clouds! 

Going away out of season is also fantastic for the dogs because most beaches are dog friendly outside of May - September so it meant they were free to run around wherever they liked. And boy did they run around a lot! I think it would be fair to say that the dogs had THE time of their lives on this trip. Fellow dog owners will understand that you really know when your dog is having a good time and I honestly don't think i've ever seen them so happy as they were here. They loved exploring the mossy greenery right outside our cabin door and when the tide was out the vast sandy beach was just perfect for their little feet. Everything about this place made it so easy and enjoyable to go away with the dogs and that alone would be a reason for us to make a return visit. 

I found myself feeling a bit tired and lethargic after all of the festive fun in December and, despite factoring in lots of down time over Christmas, I really felt like I needed this break to reset and blow the cobwebs away. It was a great opportunity to just enjoy some peace and quiet and gather my thoughts before returning back to normality this week. All that sea air and walking done us the world of good and we returned home feeling much better and ready for a new year. 

On our last morning my husband woke me up at the crack of dawn and suggested a sunrise beach walk and usually I would roll over and go back to sleep but I knew this was something I didn't want to miss here. It turned out to be my favourite time of the whole trip! I'm so glad we made the effort to get up and out early because the scenery was simply stunning. 

My only regret of this stay was not booking slightly longer than two nights. When it came to check out morning we really didn't want to leave and by that point we had just started to feel relaxed so it was a shame we had to pack up and go. I think three nights would have been perfect for us and longer would have felt like a real treat.  

We spent the majority of our time at Cabü on this break as we didn't want to lose any valuable cosy cabin time but on one of the days we did venture in to nearby historic Rye which was really lovely for a mooch around the quaint little shops. On the day we checked out we also made a point of stopping at nearby Camber Sands which I would also recommend as the beach is just incredible and it felt like we were in Devon.

Part of me doesn't want to talk about Cabü too much because it almost feels like a new hidden gem at the moment and I worry that once it gets busy it will become harder to book and more expensive to stay there! But I can't deny that I would give this place five gold stars. We had the BEST time and I can't wait to go back.  It's also worth me pointing out that if you book to stay during the warmer months you'll have access to the outdoor pool and be able to make use of the communal BBQ space which looked amazing. A new Cabü By The Lake is coming to Ireland very soon too for any of you who are interested in travelling a little further a field. 

I hope you all had a really great Christmas and New Year and that 2020 treats you well.