Easter Getaway – a trip next door!
Easter getaway. A trip to next door!
A short blog about reacquainting ourselves with the Lodge.
As owners we are so grateful to have Sladen Lodge full of guests all year round however over this past year our doors have been shut for the most part due to coronavirus. Easter is normally a time for us to get together with family, similarly the Lodge is usually being enjoyed by a big group of guests but seeing as neither were possible this year we wondered how to make the most of the holiday. That was just it, we were going to have a holiday! So, we packed our bags, walked down the garden path, opened the gate to next door, and let ourselves into the Lodge. It was fantastic!
We chose to unpack in room 1 making the most of the stunning views of the valley springing into life. To ensure we got the full guest experience we opened a bottle of champagne on the patio and had sundowners on our first night.
After a great night’s sleep Richard made our morning coffee and we enjoyed it in bed- a far cry from 6am zoom meetings! After a clear frosty start the sun warmed up and we had perfect weather, warm enough to enjoy breakfast al fresco which was an unexpected treat.
After our lazy breakfast we both decided to do something more active. While Richard went off for a run, I zoomed in to my yoga class setup in the dining room giving me plenty of room to spread out and work on my handstands. After the class I took my mat outside and practiced in the garden too.
When Richard got back from his run, we had some relaxing time sat on the patio in the glorious sunshine.
Our second night consisted of Tom Hanks, pizza, and pyjamas. We ordered takeaway pizzas from Sunshine Pizza which were delicious as always and settled in for a movie night, able to spread out and take a whole sofa each.
On Sunday morning we woke to discover the Easter Rabbit had been, in keeping with tradition, the annal easter egg hunt took place, but this time without our children and in the Lodge garden. There were some more adult hiding spots this year- some even too tall for Richard. Again, we were lucky enough to have our breakfast outside with our chocolate treasure this time though.
In the afternoon we decided to make the most of the amazing sunshine and have a go on the tandem bicycle, after a wobbly start we cracked it and went for a short cycle along the valley (not wanting to push our luck).
After all that excitement I, correction- the Easter Rabbit, deserved a soak in the bath with a gin and tonic while Richard prepared an Easter dinner. Being down at the Lodge for a full weekend was complete luxury for us and it was great to have the full guest experience. We were able to notice and appreciate the small things in better detail, like being able to pick fresh rosemary from the herb box in the garden when we were cooking, and the washing and drying facilities for muddy clothes after a run.
Reacquainting ourselves with the Lodge has helped us to fully prepare for our reopening in June and given us a boost of enthusiasm to get people out to the Peak District and enjoy what we have to offer.
