LIME WOOD HOTEL

The holiday season is about to kick off in the UK but we’ve already managed to travel quite a bit this summer. We stayed in the picturesque Lime Wood hotel in New Forest last month which has been on my wish list for quite some time. I tend to prefer shorter weekend trips with the family at the moment. I find weekend trips easier with children and of course it’s always a nice excuse to escape the city for a few days. It’s quite difficult to get a booking in the Lime Wood though (they only have 32 rooms) so my advice would be to stay mid week if you can.

Obviously I love the location of the hotel but the hotel interiors were a massive selling point for me too. Believe me, you’ll feel spoiled the minute you arrive at the hotel. Everything about this hotel is first class; the location, interiors, service, food, I could go on. What’s even nicer is that it’s very  child/baby friendly. It’s so rare to find a luxury hotel these days where you feel at ease with young children but we absolutely fitted in perfectly with our 4 year old and a toddler. There’s so much for kids to do as well so you don’t have to worry about them getting bored anytime soon. We even used their baby sitting service (there was an additional charge) so we could have dinner in the restaurant. It turned out to be a great decision as the food was absolutely delicious.

So let’s talk about the interiors since they were the main reason why I picked the hotel in the first place. Lime Wood was originally a medieval hunting lodge way back in the 13th century, but the hotel has gone through a massive makeover since then. It’s the elegant interiors that attracted me to the hotel initially and the high end interior choices give it a very luxurious, yet comfortable, feel. I find that it’s often all in the details. Well, I guess especially in this case because all the little details and chic accessories made the hotel feel very glamorous. I especially loved the wooden floors, bespoke wood furniture, quirky cloakroom, mirrors, lighting, gold accessories, flowers, pastel colours etc. I could go on and on but I guess you get the point. Everything was fabulous. I ended up taking loads of photos during my stay because I felt so inspired the entire time. I hope you will be too once you’re finished reading this post.

The open plan bar/bistro area was probably my favourite spot in the entire hotel. The interiors were stunning and the space was filled with huge amounts of natural light. The see-through high ceilings made the space appear even bigger than it was. I loved the neutral interiors with a pop of colour which a lot of high-end boutique hotels seem to go for these days. Aren’t those peach chairs divine? They were so comfortable too. I could have easily spend hours just sitting there and taking it all in. I also loved that they had mixed traditional furniture with some contemporary accessories. Everything was so well put together but it didn’t feel too staged.

The neutral hallway upstairs was another great example of timeless elegance. I loved that it was pretty much all white, which let’s face it can be risky, but the contemporary wall art at the end of the hall gave it a bit of oomph. So if you are thinking about having an all white hall or a bedroom, remember to have few accent pieces there to make sure the outcome doesn’t turn out too clinical. I also loved the gold curtain holdbacks – it’s such a subtle way to add a bit of glamour to the mix while keeping everything else so minimal. Also, remember you can never have too much lighting in narrow hallways either.

I’m still obsessed with bar carts and luckily it seems, at least for now, that they are here to stay. I guess the Lime Wood Hotel agrees with me since I spotted at least 4 beautifully styled bar carts there during my stay. You really cannot go wrong with a gold bar cart. They add instant luxe to any room and they are incredibly practical too. When I’m not entertaining, I like to use ours as a side table. Our bar cart is usually in our dining room but during the summer I like to wheel it onto the decking as well. I’m getting so much use out of it at the moment I cannot believe I didn’t buy one sooner.

How cute is this leather side table? So casual and chic – I just love it!

We stayed in one of their Pavillion suites which was separate from the main house.  I expected our room to be a regular size suite but it was more like a house of our own to be honest. We were over two floors and had two bedrooms, two lounge areas, 2 bathrooms, four poster bed and a roll top bath over looking the forest. We even got our own little private garden. It was pretty spectacular but we didn’t really need this much room as the kids are still quite young. However, everyone seemed to love the extra space so I do recommend the forest suites if you are looking for some privacy and serious pampering. Also, my daughter said it was the best hotel room she has ever stayed in but I’m pretty sure it was mainly thanks to the bunk bed she got to sleep in first time in her life.

We had even more room upstairs and a huge stand alone bath. The walls were painted in bright lime colour, and although I would normally prefer white walls, they were the perfect choice. I loved our room so much that I just wanted to hang out there which meant I almost missed my spa appointment. You’ll have lots to do in the rooms. There are magazines, board games, an ipad, cocktail making station etc. I don’t think I’ve ever seen such a well equipped hotel room before. They had really thought of everything. It kind of felt like I was staying in somebody’s house, not in a hotel, which definitely made our stay even more relaxing.

What can I say, our mini break exceeded my expectations and I felt that there was something for everyone. The beautiful landscaped grounds and the spa were breathtaking and I loved having long walks in the woods with the kids. We all loved our spacious accommodation too. I wish we could have stayed longer because I felt there were so many things we didn’t get a chance to do. I felt so relaxed and inspired after our stay that I’m currently trying to find a good excuse to head back there before to end of the year.

                                                                              SHOP THE LOOK

1. West Elm Bar Cart Brass
2. Zara Mirrored Tray (available in gold)
3. Leather Log Basket
4. M&S Geometric Cushion
5. Arched Floor Lamp
6. Wing Arm Chair
7. Moroccan Leather Pouffe

Do you have a dream hotel you’d like to visit? Leave a comment or let me know on twitter!

For more information, visit www.limewoodhotel.co.uk