Smiggle Retreat is a little piece of luxury in the heart of the Derbyshire Dales. It’s a gorgeous shepherd’s hut with a hot tub, fire pit, and BBQ surrounded by rolling hills and stunning views.
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I stayed with my boyfriend on the one-night Indulgence package, which includes an overnight stay and a private dining experience, and it just screams romance! It’s perfect for couples looking for a lovely mini-break or honeymooners.
Accommodation
I’ve called it glamping, but Smiggle Retreat is super luxurious glamping! The shepherd’s hut has a raised bed with storage underneath for your bags, a table and chairs, a kitchen area, and an en-suite bathroom.
Everything in the shepherd’s hut has a cottage core aesthetic, and it’s cosy with a wood burner for the winter months. Everything you need is provided for you, including pots and pans, plenty of different types of glasses (I love it when there are wine glasses AND champagne flutes!), mugs, and cutlery.
The kitchen has a toaster, kettle, microwave, sink, and electric hob. There’s coffee, sugar, tea bags, and a cupboard with some seasoning like salt, pepper, and herbs. I love this as these are the things you often forget to bring when you go away, or you wouldn’t buy especially.
Outside is a patio table with a parasol for eating meals, two comfy chairs to relax in, and a little table. There’s also a barbecue, a fire pit, and all the wood you need for the inside fire and the fire pit.
Marshmallows are provided inside for you to toast!
For the extra romantic touches available with the Indulgence package, rose petals were scattered on the bed, and a cuddly bunny with an “I love you” helium balloon! There were also macarons and chocolate-covered strawberries on arrival – this was a lovely touch, and we felt welcome and relaxed immediately.
We stayed during spring, which was lovely, and as the weather was good, we got to use the outdoor space, but I imagine it’s also gorgeous in winter when you can cosy up in front of the wood burner.
Facilities
First and foremost, I’ve got to mention one of the best things about Smiggle Retreat – the private hot tub! There’s just no better feeling than jumping into your hot tub with a glass of prosecco, is there?
We went in at night, and it was so magical as we could see all the stars and hear the sounds of nature. We spent ages in here, and it was so relaxing, just what we needed!
Everything at Smiggle Retreat has been taken care of, and there are lots of little touches you may not have thought of before, but they make all the difference. We were left a homemade brownie, some homemade butter, bread, milk, and some free-range eggs, so we had everything we needed.
Robes are provided, so you can pop these on once you’ve enjoyed the hot tub. There are two sets of towels – one for the hot tub and one for the shower – and plenty of hooks to hang these on to dry.
There’s a TV in the hut, which you don’t always get when you’re glamping, but I think that’s an excellent addition. We usually take our iPad on all our trips and end up watching box sets at night, so this Smart TV was perfect for us.
Food
When you visit Smiggle Retreat, you can choose to have a private dining experience in The Snug, a gorgeous little stone-built room with a log burner that is super cosy. It’s just outside the shepherd’s hut, completely separate.
This dining experience is included in the price of the Indulgence package.
The table inside The Snug is scattered with petals and surrounded by candles and fairy lights. There are two comfy leather chairs you can retire to after your meal with the after-dinner coffee.
We were blown away by how beautiful it was in here.
There’s a Nespresso coffee machine which you can help yourself to. It’s there so you don’t need to be disturbed and you can spend plenty of time alone together.
There are after-dinner mints too!
There are board games and cards in here, too, and a sound system with music, or you can hook it up to your phone.
Now, let’s talk about the food! Everything at Smiggle Retreat is home-grown, homemade, locally sourced, or foraged from the land here, as far as possible.
We chose the homemade burger board with a choice of burgers and fries – you can pick two options per couple. We went for the duck burgers, all-American cheeseburgers, dirty fries, and truffle fries with parmesan cheese.
As well as the burgers and fries, we also got onion rings, coleslaw, and salad with a homemade vinegarette which was delicious – you’ve never seen us eat so much salad! All of this was beautifully presented on a large sharing board.
There was plenty of food – although we did manage to polish off a lot of it as it was so yummy! I enjoyed the duck burgers as I hadn’t had anything like them before.
Along with the plum sauce, they were packed full of flavour.
For dessert, there was a platter with three different sweets on each – lemon mousse, chocolate liquor cup, and carrot cake. These were all yummy, and we loved having a taste of three different things rather than having to pick just one.
My favourite was the lemon mousse. It was super tangy, a perfect palette cleanser after our burgers.
Location
Smiggle Retreat is located in the town of Matlock, in Derbyshire, on the edge of the Peak District. It has a stunning location with views over the surrounding hills.
It’s also super tranquil here, so you’ll feel like you’re in the middle of nowhere.
You can walk through the field straight from the hut, and there’s a double rope swing, perfect for two people to sit and admire the views. It’s so peaceful to have a little swing here.
From the retreat, you can walk into Matlock in around 15-20 minutes and check out the independent shops, pubs, and restaurants on offer here. There are also plenty of other pubs further afield, and I’ve rounded up a list of some of my favourite places to eat in Derbyshire here.
A little bit further on, you’ve got the town of Matlock Bath. There’s a great circular walk here which climbs up the cliffs and takes in some wonderful views of the town below.
If you’re visiting in autumn, you may be lucky enough to catch the illuminations and the fireworks which happen at the weekends.
Of course, there are plenty of fantastic walking routes in the area and lots of variety to choose from, including many peaks and trails. Check out some of the best walks in the Peak District and Derbyshire here.
We had a fantastic stay at Smiggle Retreat, and we’ve been recommending it to everyone who’ll listen ever since! It’s the perfect place to rekindle the romance or spend quality time together.
