For Alfies 22nd birthday I knew I wanted to do something special, out of the ordinary and something neither of us had ever done before. My mum suggested a treehouse which is something i’d never thought about. Together we sat and looked them up and I booked us in for two nights at Chewton Glen, near the New Forest and only a two hour drive away. I didn’t tell Alfie as I wanted it to be a complete surprise for when we arrived. As we pulled up and drove along the beautiful long driveway up to the manor house, Alfie still had no idea we would be staying a treehouse. The grounds of Chewton Glen are beautiful, with a croquet lawn, an orchard, wild flowers everywhere, tennis courts and a driving range. Not to mention the fact it was surrounded by beautiful woodland. As someone who always says the beach is one of the most relaxing places to be (at sunset, as I can’t exactly say Brighton beach is calm at midday on a sunny weekend), I now have a new love for forests and I’d like to live in or near one someday. We parked the car up outside reception and two men immediately met us at both at our doors with umbrellas (it was, in true british form, peeing it down) and walked us inside. We were then escorted by a golf buggy with our luggage and wellies to our treehouse which had a walkway on ground level to the main door. When we stepped inside I felt like I’d entered a little cosy nest up in the trees. It’s not as you would imagine a typical treehouse, it’s a luxury pad on very high stilts situated in the forest with beautiful views out onto the trees. Definitely not something you’d find yourself playing in as a child.
The treehouse itself was absolutely amazing. It had everything you could ever need and more. One thing I did take into consideration when booking this, was that I wanted it to be a place that we could still do things if it was raining, or if the sun happened to have his hat on. Luckily we experienced both weathers, but I honestly think regardless of the time of year, these treehouses are great little getaway homes. With things like the coffee machine, and the complimentary hot chocolate buttons and mini marshmallows, the hot water bottles on the bed and the log burner that they clean and set up for you every day, mean that if when the weather is a little more wintery, it still accommodates that. If anything, I think these would be so cosy in the slightly more wintery months. You can still get in a warm hot tub on the balcony in the snow and pop your scarves and coats on for crisp walks after all! One thing myself and Alfie did love was the tablet on which you could order room service. The treehouse service offers breakfast in the manor if you so wish, or the choice of having your breakfast delivered in the morning between 7-7.30am through a secret hatch from the outside in a picnic hamper. This meant that regardless of what time we woke up, our little hamper would be sat waiting for us full of breakfast goodies. The hamper certainly didn’t disappoint either. Each morning there are juices, pastries, yoghurts and fruit and then something different. One morning we woke up to the addition of pancakes, baguettes and salami and the next morning we were greeted with muesli, salmon and cream cheese. We were always defeated by the amount of food, although having a mini fridge and freezer meant you could save bits for when you got peckish throughout the day. The tablet also had options for other hampers, there was a three course meal hamper where you could make each selection, and handmade pizza hamper (yes, I did chose this option and MY GOODNESS THE PIZZA WAS DELICIOUS) and there was a night owl service where they had bacon sandwiches, sausage sandwiches, toasties, brownies and mini pots of ice cream. It’s also worth noting here, that one afternoon Alfie and I wanted lunch, and although there wasn’t a lunch hamper, we called reception and asked what lunch options there were and they basically said “What would you like? We can make you anything”. If that’s not great room service I don’t know what is. The whole premise behind the hatch in the treehouse was that a lot people visit to get away and to be alone and relaxed, so by using the hatch, it meant you don’t have to see anyone. If you’re in your pyjamas, or you’ve just jumped out the bath, you don’t need to scramble around for a towel and look half presentable before opening the door, because you don’t need to open the door. BRILLIANT! I also just want to note here, that everything worked. You know sometimes when you get into a lovely hotel room and you go to turn the tv on and you get 4 channels, or the “great wifi” is really not so great, we had NONE of those issues. Everything was just as they said it would be.
On the second day we were there, it was Alfie’s actual birthday, and I’d arranged a 60 minute massage for the both of us and for a birthday cake to be delivered to the room whilst we were out. As we went to leave for our massage though, the manager had left a helium balloon and card tied to our door handle which was such a lovely touch. The massages were amazing, and we went and used the hydrotherapy pools for a while before heading back to the treehouse which was only a 5 minute walk on a lovely sunny day. We arrived back to another helium ballon and the cake. I opted for a vanilla sponge with fresh fruit and cream and it tasted amazing. We then got ready to head out for a walk to the beach which was 25 minutes through a Nature Reserve. The walk was so beautiful, if anything I think I enjoyed this more than the beach itself. I can imagine how awesome it will be once the leaves have turned gold and orange. Once we got back to the room we sat in the hot tub with our fresh juices (rock and roll) and lay back listening to the sounds of the forest. As the evening drew in, we lit the wood burner and I treated myself to a big, deep bubble bath. It was probably the most relaxed i’d been in a really long time.
I would totally recommend staying at Chewton Glen for a special occasion or a much needed getaway, whether that’s in a treehouse or in the main building. Although a little more on the pricey side depending on what you want, I felt that they really got everything SO right. I wasn’t invited there by their press team, or given any special treatment and they only realised we were staying there on our last day after Alfie’s first vlog went live, of which they thanked us personally before leaving. They were VERY accommodating and their customer service and attention to detail was spot on. I’ve never felt so looked after when staying anywhere before and will most certainly be going back. They made our special stay feel so much more special and everybody was friendly and very helpful. We both actually felt very sad leaving and I could have happily stayed a lot longer. I’m desperate now to book out more treehouse with friends and family and have a little winter shindig!
