Yahoo News This adults-only sustainable retreat is the perfect Autumn mini-break
If there’s one thing more appealing than holing up in your own home right now, it's holing up in one where you’re not paying the heating bill. As excuses for booking a mini-break go, saving on energy is up there with giving the cat some ‘me time’. But throw in the bath you don’t have, the dishwasher you don’t fill and the Deliveroo you don’t order and - in this economy - you’re not far off breaking even.
The vibe
A hop, skip and a two hour amble up the A12 from London is Blyth Rise Stays - 10-acres of woodland and gardens populated by 2,500 hand-planted trees and 12 hand-crafted cabins.
Located just outside the postcard-perfect village of Laxfield and 30 minutes by car to the coastal towns of Southwold, Aldeburgh and Walberswick, Blyth Rise Stays delivers on both country air and sea spray.
But given an autumn mini-break isn’t an autumn mini-break without a radiator cranked up to high, the underfloor heating feels like a good place to start.
It’s installed in every en-suite bathroom in the site's six lakeside lodges and the feeling of warmth beneath a Friday-weary foot is as comforting as carbs on a hangover.
So tantalising and pleasing is the feeling that every click of the bathroom door closing is followed by a sound bordering on orgasmic.
The food
But creative solutions to autumn ‘22 #problems aren’t the only thing the team at Blyth Rise have thought of.
From the 200 thread count luxury Egyptian cotton bedding, to the locally sourced blankets and the breakfast hampers bulging with local produce, every element of your stay feels carefully curated.
Those organised enough to order ahead will find a fridge filled with local ales and hand-selected wine, but the forgetful folk are catered for, too.
An on-site honesty shed sells home-made ready meals, along with condiments, cordials and chocolate; you can also purchase logs and fire-lighters for your personal, cabin-side fire pit.
The wellness
But while star-gazing is a legitimate wellness activity these days (‘awe’ is a buzzword among mental health researchers right now) there’s plenty to do besides.
If you count yourself among those who pack their trainers before their toothbrush, you’ve come to the right place. Footpaths leave Laxfield in every direction and Suffolk’s flat-as-a-pancake landscape makes it a runner’s paradise.
An easy 5k loop around the village delivers a healthy dose of property porn (I counted six houses I’d buy with my fictional millions), while those in the market for a higher mileage can head to the neighbouring village of Heveningham - co-incidentally the home of a property magnate whose millions aren’t fictional.
Heveningham Hall Estate is the family home of the billionaire founder of the estate agency Foxtons - and well-worth a drive-by for a gawp (we spotted a casual helicopter on the front lawn).
Emphatically not a runner? For £20 per person you can rent a bike for the day and do your own version of a village crawl or join in a free yoga session atop the site’s dedicated yoga platform, taught by co-owner and qualified yoga instructor Katie (classes are at 9.30am on Tuesdays and Saturdays).
And if all that movement feels a bit much for a mini-break, you can also book a slot in one of the site’s two sauna huts or request a massage therapist to come to your cabin.
Anything else I should know?
Speaking of cabins, there are two types to choose from. The lodges overlooking the lake sleep four people in two bedrooms, both with en-suites, and are kitted out with a well-equipped kitchen, a living area and a terrace.
But if you’re travelling as a couple or solo, the smaller, cosier Igluhuts are a tourist attraction in their own right. Hand-crafted in hazelwood, the outside looks like a woodland creature’s Grand Design while the interior could be a hygge Pinterest board.
Regardless of which type you choose, it’s hard to spend a weekend beneath the starry Suffolk skies and with only Scrabble for entertainment (there’s no wi-fi in the cabins to support your digital detox ambitions) without feeling your shoulders slacken. And if that’s not a good excuse to book a mini-break, I don’t know what is.
Book to stay in a Woodland Igluhut from £445 for a three-night weekend or four-night mid-week stay, and £700 for a week stay; Lake Lodges start from £625 for a three-night weekend or four-night mid-week stay, and £970 for a week stay. The price is the same for single or double occupancy. See blythrisestays.co.uk
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