Sykes Cottages: A staycation with its own beach and hot tub

I escaped for the weekend a couple of weeks ago, and it made me realise how important it is to take that time out.

Just around an hour’s drive from south east London lies St Andrews Lake in Halling – its beautiful, peaceful, fun and relaxing.

I really wanted to get away, and had recently discovered the Sykes Cottages app which has thousands of handpicked holiday cottages and accommodation across the UK.

You can filter your search by place, distance from a place, whether you want to be allowed pets, whether you want a hot tub and/or a pool, whether you want to be near a pub, shops, or fishing – the list is endless.

That way, you can make your trip perfectly crafted to your needs, and I think that’s so important when planning a special getaway.

I wanted somewhere nearby and within driving distance, I wanted a hot tub, and I wanted a lodge, cosy feel – and that’s EXACTLY what I got.

Booking The Fishing Lodge at St Andrews Lake was made so easy by Sykes, and I’m grateful for realising it wasn’t only Airbnb that offers these kind of host stays.

I found my desired lodge, chose my dates, and was given full details of what amenities there were, where my lodge was, and how I’d get there on the day.

Sometimes booking experiences can be stressful, but this one I enjoyed, and from the second I found it and booked through Sykes, I couldn’t wait to go.

I set off on Friday after work to get to Rochester, and as I got to a whole new world surrounding St Andrews Lake in Halling, I was left intrigued.

My boyfriend and I drove down a dark, winding dirt track – and I have to be honest, I was terrified at first.

I wondered what we’d got ourselves into, but the second we saw the lodge we’d booked – I felt relief, excitement and automatically cosy.

The lodge was exactly as it looked in the Sykes Cottages pictures, and when we got inside I couldn’t wait to spend the weekend there.

It was adorable, and the little touches and attention to detail made it that extra little bit special.

There was a ‘shoes and boots’ box, a book filled with previous stay reviews (all glowing!), comfy blankets on the sofa, some fresh bread, eggs and milk left in the kitchen, and towels for the shower and specifically the hot tub.

There was one log fire inside and two outside – one which powered the hot tub.

The lovely lodge owners had already started the log fire for the hot tub before we got there, so that it could start to get warm.

We instantly lit the one inside for warmth, and started to devour the takeaway and bottle of wine we’d brought with us.

It felt so wholesome, and we watched Netflix and enjoyed the hot tub as the evening went on.

The next morning we got up, made breakfast in the fully-equipped kitchen and then went for a walk around the area.

There was beautiful greenery, and a lake with its very own beach.

Yes, you read it right.

Just a 10 minute walk from our lodge, and on the same grounds, there is a lake with its own beach - St Andrews Lakes.

It has sand, water sports, a café, an aqua park and more.

We got a hot chocolate from the café, and then went on a unicorn pedalo in the lake.

It was so much fun, and make the perfect activity before the rest of the afternoon spent in the hot tub.

We spent the evening making dinner, watching Netflix again and enjoying the stunning hot tub with the fire in the evening.

It was so wholesome.

The next day we had breakfast on the terrace, milked the hot tub one more time, and then reluctantly headed home.

We had the best stay, it was made perfect by the ease of Sykes Cottages booking, and the adorable attention to detail in the lodge was second-to-none. We will be back!