At the beginning of December I was invited by Holiday at Home to spend a weekend in North Yorkshire at Brompton Lakes, a collection of luxury self-catering eco-lodges two miles outside Richmond. As a busy mum of two I don’t get to spend a huge amount of time without the responsibility of parenthood so the prospect of two nights away with friends was very exciting.
After a wet and windy drive across from Lancashire on the Friday night Lisa and I arrived at Brompton Lakes. There are 21 luxury lodges around two lakes, and almost everyone has a lake front view. We didn’t get to see much of the beautiful location when we arrived in the dark but we did have plenty of time to look around the lodges.
Our lodges at Brompton Lakes
Each lodge has a name – I was staying in Jasper with Lisa, and Sian who arrived the next day, while Sally, Jen and Kirstie stayed in Cara next door. The two lodges had the same layout but had different decor – I really liked this and it definitely sets the lodges apart from somewhere like Center Parcs where they are all in identical even down to the art on the walls.
All the lodges sleep 6 people (except No. 21 which sleeps 12 and has its own hot tub and outdoor Scandinavian style BBQ house) in three bedrooms.
I took the biggest room which also has an ensuite bathroom. I was so impressed by the size of the bedrooms when we arrived!
The other two bedrooms were a really good size too. And best of all the bed was really comfortable. There’s one thing guaranteed to ruin a holiday for me and that’s an uncomfortable bed but I had no such problem here.
As well as the ensuite there was a bathroom with a full bath – I didn’t get chance to use it but it looked very inviting!
For us though one of the best parts of the lodges at Brompton Lakes was the large open plan kitchen and living space. We only used our lodge for sleeping and spent most of our time in the other lodge next door.
There was plenty of room for the six of us on the comfy sofas. The Christmas tree in the corner was a lovely festive touch, and probably my favourite thing was the egg-shaped log burner in the corner.
I love a log burner or open fire and it’s always one of the things we look for when booking self-catering breaks. Often you are only provided with enough logs for one night but not at Brompton Lakes – there was a fully stocked wood store at the back of the lodge, which was great.
It’s things like this, and the welcome pack with not only tea and coffee, but milk, cheese, bread, crisps and even a big mince pie, that really make Brompton Lakes out as luxury properties. Dishwasher tablets and washing powder (each lodge has a washing machine in the utility room which would be brilliant if you’re visiting with children) are also provided.
Our accommodation at Brompton Lakes was definitely luxurious but the weekend was really made by the company. On Friday night we had dinner and then spent the evening just chatting and laughing. It was lovely not to be worrying about anyone else but myself and to really relax.
Exploring Richmond
On Saturday we took the short drive into Richmond for a look around and lunch in a little tea room.
We didn’t actually go into Richmond Castle but had a good look through the gates…
After our afternoon in Richmond we headed back to the lodges where Sally and I went for a walk round the lakes to have a look at the other lodges. It really is a beautiful and peaceful location. We also found the hot tub and sauna which can be booked 24 hours in advance. There’s also a tennis court and bikes available to borrow free of charge from reception.
Saturday Night Fun
On Saturday evening I cooked a chilli for everyone. The kitchen had everything I needed, including plenty of big pans for cooking for larger groups, and knives that were actually sharp!
The prosecco was flowing and we had such fun pulling after our crackers (and laughing at Sian’s cracker pulling competitiveness!)
After dinner the games came out. We played Cards Against Humanity which only my second time of playing – the first being when I spent a weekend in the Lakes with some other blogging friends back in October. It’s funny but I don’t get why people would be offended by it, it’s just a game! After that it was time for Sock Puppet Charades. If you’re looking for a game to play with family and friends then I’d recommend this – I’ve not laughed so much in ages…
I had such a lovely weekend with friends. A slightly sore head on Sunday morning was easily fixed by a bacon buttie and cup of tea on the deck before heading back home to my boys.
We were provided with our accommodation free of charge in exchange for this review, but as always all opinions are my own. I would definitely recommend Brompton Lakes lodges for a self-catering break – our weekend would have cost around £400 for one lodge which I think is great value for what really is luxury accommodation. What is even better is that prices don’t seem to be ridiculously inflated during school holidays as can happen in some places. I’m definitely tempted to go back with the family at half term. I think the boys would love it!
I’m just going to wrap this up with a big thank you to Holiday at Home for our stay at Brompton Lakes, and also to Sally for inviting me to come along (and for a lot of the photographs in this post!).
If you’d like to read some of the other posts about our weekend away you can find them here:
These lodges are so good I am dreaming up schemes to get back to Yorkshire!
It was so lovely to meet you. I am yearning to go back!