Situated in the Lincolnshire countryside, Bainland Lodge Retreats is a collection of luxury self-catering lodges. We tried out one of the dog-friendly romantic retreats for two – with Alfie of course!
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Lodges are one of my favourite accommodation types and I was super excited to see how Bainland’s measured up.
Read on to find out more about the lodges, the different accommodation offers, how to make the most of your stay and things to do in the area.
The park
Bainland Lodge Retreats is a luxury rural retreat set in rolling countryside on the edge of the Lincolnshire Wolds. It’s a dog friendly park where you can bring your four legged friend for their holidays too.
On site there is a farm shop and a restaurant and you can also get food from here delivered direct to your lodge – so you never need to leave it!
Bainland has 45 acres of land for you to explore and plenty to keep you busy during your stay. I loved the focus on outdoor activities and exercise.
Just up from our lodge was a field with a group of rescue llamas, goats and hens in it. We enjoyed greeting them each morning!
There are activities on-site including archery, mini land rovers, a climbing wall and bike hire. There are some cycling trails which start from the park too.
We hired a couple of bikes during our trip and hopped on them to explore.
There are also tennis courts which are free to use along with all the tennis and badminton equipment that you need.
For kids, there is a play area and treehouse with slides, scramble nets and rope bridges.
Another thing I loved is that you can exclusively hire the pool just for your lodge to use for just £30 per hour. We didn’t do this this time but I thought it would be really great if you had the whole family there.
Lodges
Bainland Lodge Retreats offers lodges of all shapes and sizes to suit any family or group from cosy retreats for two to villas with their own swimming pools which sleep up to 24 people. There are also safari tents and shepherd’s huts to stay in too, if you prefer glamping.
I was taken on a tour of the park while I was there and got to see quite a few of the lodges. Each one is beautifully decorated and furnished and most have their own enclosed outdoor area and hot tub.
There are plenty of dog friendly options too as well as lodges which are kept not dog friendly in case of allergies.
Lakeside Hunting Retreats
We stayed in one of the Lakeside Hunting Retreats which are luxury lodges for two, inspired by American hunting cabins. Some of these are dog-friendly and they have a secure decking area at the front so you don’t have to worry about your dog, even if they are an escape artist like Alfie!
This is a perfect place to enjoy a morning coffee along with views of the lake. Alfie enjoyed waking up each morning and looking out at the ducks on the lake.
The location is perfect, the decking area with its own hot tub overlooks the lake – ideal for a romantic getaway. The hot tub can even be used in the rain as it is partially covered with a tin roof.
Inside, there’s lots of rustic wood, an open plan living, dining and kitchen area and a large bedroom with a really comfy super king bed. Tartan, tan leather and copper lights complete the look.
The kitchen is super stylish with a Belfast sink and gorgeous orange Le Creuset crockery and there’s a wood-burner in the lounge area for added cosiness during winter breaks. There’s a sofa for snuggling up on in front of the TV.
And speaking of the TV, it’s a Smart TV so there’s plenty to keep you entertained here. There’s also a table and chairs where you can enjoy dinner and a glass of wine.
A sliding wooden door takes you through to the bedroom where there’s a huge bed plus plenty of space to hang your clothes, a full length mirror and a dressing table. If you leave the sliding door open you can see the lake from your bed!
The bathroom is pretty special too. There are twin sinks and a rainforest shower plus bathrobes and slippers for you to use.
Towels and toiletries are also included. The bathroom was giving me serious Swedish sauna vibes.
The only thing that I think could have been improved was the oven. To save space, the oven is a tabletop one with a hob on top. The oven is quite small and I struggled to reach the hob so you have to plan your meals well if you’re self-catering.
Food & drink
If you don’t fancy cooking for yourself, there is an on-site restaurant and bar, The Copper Goose Bistro & Bar. They offer all-day dining and takeaway meals.
As well as this, you can even get meals delivered to your lodge!
We were very tempted by the lodge delivery service as we didn’t want to leave our cosy rural retreat but we decided to head to the bar to try it out. The restaurant was really quiet when we were there with only a couple of tables in.
There was a nice, relaxed atmosphere and dogs are also welcome there. The menu offers gourmet burgers, stone-baked pizzas, salads, toasties and loaded nachos.
We each opted for a burger (one beef and one chicken) and they were some of the best burgers we’ve ever had.
They were both cooked brilliantly and were super tender and the sauces they were served with were really tasty. The chips were triple cooked which always gets a big thumbs up from me.
I would definitely recommend giving the food a try during your stay.
The staff were really lovely. I accidentally smashed a glass at the end of the meal (I’d only had one glass of wine, I promise!) and they couldn’t have been nicer about it.
Things to do in Lincolnshire
With so many activities on-site, you might not even need to leave during your stay. However, if you want to explore outside of the park, there’s plenty to do in Lincolnshire.
Lincolnshire beaches
The Lincolnshire coast is home to plenty of beaches as well as traditional Victorian seaside resorts. If you want to see the sea during your time at Bainland then the coast is a 40 minute drive away.
Not just great to visit during summer time, some of the beaches are great to visit outside of the season. Theses are especially great for dog walks as dogs are allowed on most beaches from September to April.
We took a walk along Chapel St Leonards beach this time and Sutton-on-Sea is also one of my favourites. There are miles of coastline here so it’s a great place to let your dog stretch their legs.
Woodhall Spa
When it comes to pretty villages, they don’t come much more attractive than Woodhall Spa. Set in the middle of pine woods, there are lots of independent shops and cafes as well as a beautiful park and an outdoor swimming pool.
There’s also a cinema in the woods which feels really hidden and magical. Here you can watch the latest releases, the perfect date night.
Woodhall Spa is a lovely place for pottering around, great for spending an afternoon.
Ostler’s Plantation
Just outside of the park, Oslter’s Plantation is a Forestry Commission owned woodland. It’s great for walking dogs and there are lots of different paths to explore.
There is a path directly from a corner of Bainland to the woodland so you can walk straight there without needing to jump in the car.
Ostler’s Plantation was actually used as an airfield during the Second World War and was home to the famous Dambusters squadron. You can spot some of the remnants from that time as you walk around including aircraft dispersal bays and bomb stores.
One of these bomb stores is now home to a bat roost with six species living here!
We also heard that there is a large population of adders that live in the forest but, although we kept our eyes peeled, we didn’t spot one!
We had a fantastic stay at Bainland Lodge Retreats – it’s the perfect spot for a romantic break for two and a dog-friendly UK break.
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