Celebrating my 40th Birthday at Darwin Forest Luxury Lodges

Celebrating my 40th Birthday at Darwin Forest Luxury Lodges

A weekend away with the girls. A hot tub, in the countryside with nothing but trees surrounding us. Darwin Forest is the perfect location for a celebration. Set in the Peak District, surrounded by the tallest trees with only the sound of Prosecco popping and the wind gushing through the forest. We were in heaven, I’m just sad it had to end. We all were. And we’ve been dreaming of the hot tub ever since. I guess as they say all good things must come to and end. But first let me tell you all about it.

Having visited Darwin Forest before on a previous press trip I always knew that my girlfriends would truly love the experience. It was a gorgeous treat for us all. My friends are wide spread – they traveled from London, the Midlands and the North West. I don’t get to see them all that often so to have them altogether in one place for two nights was special. And that’s what I love about The Spinney. Our lodge was 3 bedrooms, it slept 6 adults comfortably. Catered for all our needs and more. With each room having it’s own personal dressing area – a great addition and something new which I haven’t seen before. Each room felt personalised with a different colour scheme.

I knew the Spinney would be special after staying in the new Vista Spa at Sandybrook but I didn’t expect it to be as magnificent as it was. Every possible detail has been thought of, designed with luxury and space in mind. And it’s the space element that this lodge has to offer that I’m finding difficult to get across. It’s hard to put the luxury feel and high specification into words, so I give you the – Spinney Exclusive Spa lodges – a video from the team at Darwin Forest… 

What is there to do on a girls weekend at Darwin Forest?

From relaxing in the hot tub taking in the views, to stomping through the forest on the woodland walks, swimming in the pool, experiencing the Spa and quite simply enjoying the open space around the lodge. So many things. And despite it being Winter all facilities were open for us to enjoy. As we were all still recovering from hectic Christmas and New Year schedules we took the opportunity to relax and enjoy our surroundings. Other than a woodland walk we planned to do not much at all. Only leaving our lodge to pick up takeaway pizza from The Forresters Bar on site, which we would highly recommended – perfect treat for the first night.

Knowing that we could take the opportunity to truly relax, switch off (which may have had something to do with the lack of phone signal) and not worry about waking up to an alarm or the sound of children screaming Mummy felt heavenly. It’s good to take time out and on this occasion I could do it with my girlfriends. How lucky am I? We listened to music and played card games. We lay in, enjoyed brunch together (I arranged a Tesco delivery), stumbled into the woods to clear our heads from all the Prosecco. We ate our body weight in birthday cake and enjoyed the tub once again. One of the benefits of a break in The Spinney Exclusive Spa Lodge is that the hot tub is under a canopy which makes it perfect for winter breaks and adds that little extra privacy you might need.

Celebrating my 40th Birthday at Darwin Forest Luxury Lodges

What is there to do near Darwin Forest?

After enjoying Friday evening and Saturday in and around the grounds of our lodge we decided to head into nearby Matlock for tapas and dancing. The team at Darwin were really helpful and recommended Rubigo. It was a great recommendation. And I love how helpful the reception team were – nothing was too much trouble. If you are looking for advice definitely use their local knowledge. The team also helped us in finding a local taxi company who collected us from our lodge. Matlock was only a 10 minute drive so it didn’t feel like we were venturing too far. It’s a lovely town with a few bars and restaurants. I would highly recommend you visiting Rubigo, they made a lot of effort, the food and cocktails were fabulous.

There are many places within a few miles of Darwin Forest. Whether its a nearby town such as Matlock, Matlock Bath and Chesterfield. Or there’s Chatsworth House, Haddon Hall, Alton Towers, Bike trails and walks at Dovedale. It’s the perfect location for exploring the local area. So much to see and do within a few miles of the site. If you are visiting for a long weekend I personally feel that you don’t need to leave the site – you have everything you need at Darwin Forest. We all felt that there was no need to leave other than to get a little dressed up to celebrate my 40th birthday.

The weekend was so refreshing and the perfect way to start my 40th year. The location, the view of the forest whilst drinking my morning coffee, the freedom, the view from the hot tub and the sheer space in the lodge to fully relax, If you are thinking of celebrating a birthday and looking for accommodation that offers that extra special something then you will not be disappointed in The Spinney.

The KA Edit

I’m Kerri-Ann or KA as my friends call me, always found with a cup of coffee in one hand and my camera in the other. I have a huge passion for photography, fitness, fashion and family travel. I started this blog in 2014. It began as my creative outlet after becoming a mummy to our little boy George Archie. I started out blogging about parenting and over the years it has evolved into a blog that covers lifestyle, fashion, family and travel. Today TheKAEdit is ultimately a life and style blog. Thank you for reading x x