Hawkchurch Resort & Spa: Review

A few months back an email popped into my inbox and I got so excited about it. It invited Ash and I to head down to Devon and spend a weekend at the Hawkchurch Resort & Spa.

Something which sounded, very much like a weekend of luxury.

Set in the beautiful countryside of Devon and not too far from a number of beaches, along the Jurassic Coast of England, you will find Hawkchurch Resort & Spa. Made up of over 100 self-catering lodges Hawkchurch Resort is the perfect place to catch up on some R&R and allows you to explore the nearby areas or sit back in your lodge (some of which even have their own private hot tub) and do nothing, but watch the clouds float by.

So how did our weekend go?

Well from the moment we arrived at Hawkchurch resort, we felt welcomed, the staff were so friendly and answered the million and one questions we threw at them. Even going so far as finding me some washing powder, on a proceeding trip to reception over the weekend.

One of the first things that impressed me about the resort was the fact your keys, internet pass, vouchers and information about the place were presented to you in a gorgeous little tin suitcase, which you got to keep! Honestly small things with me.

You are allowed to keep your car parked next to the lodges, which is great for someone with limited mobility like me, as it meant that if I was having a bad day we could drive the car round to the main building for a trip to the spa or dinner. If you’re worried about people just driving into the resort, never fear, as the lodge area has a barrier to it, which works by recognising your car number plate when you drive up to it, allowing only people staying within the resort to drive in.

We were given a Marple Lodge to stay in; this particular lodge sleeps 4 people, with a double bedroom and twin bedroom, both of which have an en-suite bathroom.

The main living area of the Marple Lodge is open plan and features a seating area, dining table and kitchen area which includes a washer dryer and dishwasher along with all the normal essentials you would find.

The TV features Freeview, as well as access to some great movies from just under £3 per rental. We managed to catch the new X-Men film and The Secret Life of Pets while we were there, with films update around every two weeks.

Under the TV sits an electric fire, which really adds a lovely ambience to the room come nightfall.

On the table you will find a welcome book which features a huge amount of information, including locations (including postcodes) of local shops, beach and activities, as well as how to use the items inside the lodge.

Both of the bedrooms are beautiful and light, with both having their own TV. The double bedroom featured a walk in closet and shower room, while the twin room had a spacious cupboard for hanging your cloths and a bathroom with over the bath shower in its en suite.

The decked area of the lodge features an outdoor table and beautiful view out across Hawkchurch Resort and beyond. It is worth noting you do, at least for this lodge, need to climb three steps to get up to the deck and front door – so if you can’t manage that do check with them if there is an alternative.

For a full tour of the beautiful Marple Lodge have a nose at my video below (sorry about the finger 1/2 way through – I didn’t notice it till we were home and it was too late to retake).

What did we do while there?

We decided to spilt the two days. On Saturday we decided it would be good to explore the local area and headed off towards Lyme Regis, which features a mixed pebble and sand beach.

It has quite a lengthy promenade, which features places to eat, buy buckets and spades and some lovely shops. Personally we both adored Lyme Regis Antique & Craft Centre (sadly I can’t find a website for them), however they stocked a whole host of different items, with us picking up a selection of locally found fossils, comics and even some gifts from the craft centre.

As it wasn’t too late in the day after we had finished at Lyme Regis we headed on to Charmouth, which is just a few miles up the road. Sadly we got there around 4:30pm and as such the fossil museum had closed.

However we did manage to pop into Charmouth Fossils and yes I brought a few more fossils and a couple of gem stones.

We had originally thought about going out for dinner to one of the local pubs, but to be honest with you the food on site was so nice and the people working in the bar and restaurant so lovely, we decided head back and dine in with them again.

We had originally been put off the idea of eating at the Hawkchurch Resort restaurant that often, because at first glance everything sounded very posh and hands up we are more fish and chips / steak and burger people. However at second look that is what they served.

Yes they had what I am sure were some amazingly delicious alternatives but we were able to sit down and enjoy our favourites.

Personally I adored the beer battered cod and chips, while Ash switched between the steak and burger. On the first night we had a pudding of chocolate brownie, topped with white chocolate ice cream.

There are two menus that are run at Hawkchurch. The first runs Monday – Saturday, while on a Sunday they have a roast, which can be brought in one, two or three courses.

We were a little naughty and as it was our last day went for three, which included a full roast for mains and a delicious syrup sponge for pudding (Ash’s favourite dessert of the holiday).

What amazed me about the staff at the restaurant and bar is by the second night, they had our drinks down and would just ask if we wanted the same again (a coke for Ash and a double pineapple juice for me). It was also very reasonably priced, with a three course Sunday roast coming in at less than £20 per person.

Of course we can’t forget the spa area. As a guest at Hawkchurch Resort & Spa you have full access to the Hydrotherapy Pool. You do need to rent a card which costs £5, to get you in and out, but on returning it your get the £5 back.

When you get to the spa area at sign in you are given a towel and then off you go.

The pool itself is set a warmer than normal temperature and features a mix of bubble areas (both sitting and lying) and pummelling water features. On the edge of the pool there is a line of sun loungers allowing you to while away your time and perhaps pop into the steam room as well.

The spa of course also features an area where you can be pampered. I personally went for a wonderful manicure during which I nattered so much to the beauty therapist I forgot to take photos.

As well as doing my manicure she also offered up tips to help make my nails stronger, as at the moment they really are soft, so those are being put into use.

As well as the treatment area, there is the relaxation room, which guests can visit at any point during their stay, grab a cup of tea and rest or do some colouring. I may have fallen in love with the buddha colour changing water feature myself.

Over all we had a fantastic weekend away and I think for me it was the first time in a long time I had gone away and really enjoyed it, rather than looking on it as a break from a place I wasn’t looking forward to going back to.

A stay at Hawkchurch Resort & Spa costs from £225 for a two person lodge for three nights and if you want to extend your stay to anytime they even have the option of buying your own lodge! Oh to have the money to do that, I would snap one up!

What do you think of the sound of Hawkchurch Resort & Spa would you like to spend a weekend there?

*We received a weekend break at Hawkchurch Spa & Resort to help with this post, all opinions however are our own.