3 Bedroom Lodge with Hot Tub: 6 Lodges That Sleep Six

Six luxury picks we’d book this winter

Clunie Dam Lodge, Loch Tummel

Cedrus Lodge, Skelton

Newport Bridge Lodge, Great Ayton

Robin Goch at Fron Haul, Llanfwrog

Eagle Owl Lodge, North Cornwall

Wild Grape Lodge, Fritton

How the six compare

Lodge	Area	Bathrooms	Dogs	Extras	Handy for
Clunie Dam	Loch Tummel, Perthshire	1	Yes	Wood-fired, sauna, fire pit	Pitlochry, within 10 miles
Cedrus	Skelton, Cumbria	2	Yes	Wood-fired, single storey	Keswick, 17.1 miles
Newport Bridge	Great Ayton, North Yorkshire	2	No	Seats 7, beer pump, wheelchair access	Pub, 600 yards
Robin Goch	Llanfwrog, Denbighshire	3	No	Barbecue, open plan	Llangollen, 16.8 miles
Eagle Owl	North Cornwall	2	Yes, one free	Fenced for dogs, woodburner	Padstow and Watergate Bay
Wild Grape	Fritton, Norfolk	2	No	Sauna, steam room, games room, pool	Gorleston beach, 10 minutes

Every one sleeps 6. What really separates them is the number of bathrooms, whether the dog can come and how much you can do without getting back in the car.

Is a 3 bedroom lodge with hot tub right for your group?

For six it’s usually the sweet spot. Here’s who gets the most out of one:

• Families of five or six. Parents take the master bedroom and the children split the other two.
• A family get-together. Two sets of grandparents and one young family fit without anyone sharing a sofa.
• Three couples. Everyone gets a door that closes, and a second bathroom ends the morning queue.
• Three generations. A single-storey layout, or the wheelchair access at Newport Bridge, makes it easy for everyone.
• Friends sharing the bill. Split six ways, a weekend often costs less each than a hotel room with spa access.

Eight is a squeeze, even with a sofa bed. For bigger groups our four bed lodges for eight fit better, and for four there’s our pick of two bed lodges.

One bathroom or three? Reading the layout

Most follow a familiar plan. You’ll usually find a master with an en suite shower room, a second double and a twin room, with a family bathroom across the hall. Some parks will make the twin up as a double if you ask when you book.

With one bathroom, like Clunie Dam, six people need a rota, though a sauna and a loch on the doorstep go a long way to making up for it. With three, as at Robin Goch, every couple gets their own.

What’s usually included

Luxury self-catering accommodation like this tends to come well set up, but check each listing. Expect most of these:

• A fully equipped kitchen, often with a dishwasher
• A spacious open plan lounge with doors out to the decking
• Bed linen and towels, plus heating for cold nights
• Parking for two cars, which matters when six people arrive from different places
• Wifi, though signal can be patchy in the hills
• A barbecue or fire pit at some, for long summer evenings

Which ones take dogs?

Three of our six are dog friendly, and Eagle Owl takes one dog free of charge. That doesn’t mean the same thing everywhere, though. Before you book, check how many dogs are allowed, whether there’s a charge and whether your pet can be left alone inside while you eat out.

If yours likes to wander, our dog friendly lodges with secure fencing are the ones to look at.

Saunas, pools and games rooms: the extras worth paying for

The soak is the headline, but with six of you the extras decide whether a rainy afternoon is fun or a bit fraught. Three of our six have a sauna, in the lodge or on site. Wild Grape goes furthest, with a steam room, a games room and an on-site pool for the kids to burn off energy.

That’s the real case for a holiday park. You can have a pool, a restaurant, fishing or golf within walking distance, while the spa on your own deck stays private. A standalone retreat, like Clunie Dam with four acres, trades those extras for peace, quiet and a bigger view across the countryside.

Things to do near our picks

Every one puts something worth getting up for within a short drive:

• Loch Tummel: Queen’s View, the famous lookout over the loch, is on the B8019 about 7 miles west of Pitlochry.
• Great Ayton: the National Trust’s Roseberry Topping walk from Great Ayton station is 4 miles and takes about an hour and a half.
• Ruthin: Ruthin Gaol is the only purpose-built Pentonville-style prison open to visitors. Check its opening days before you go.
• Skelton: Hutton-in-the-Forest, a historic house and grounds, is right by the village.
• Fritton: walks through Waveney Forest lead down to the river, and Fritton Lake is part of a thousand-acre rewilding site on the Somerleyton Estate.

After a day like that, there’s nothing better than getting back to your own deck and the bubbles.

Soaking tips for six people

Keep the water at or below 40°C, the maximum the British and European standard for domestic spas recommends, and nearer 38°C for a long soak. Shower first, use plastic cups and put the cover back on afterwards, which keeps the heat in and the dog out.

Take turns if it seats fewer than six. Never leave children alone near the water.

Find your three bed lodge

Six people, three rooms and one steaming deck: it’s the space of a house with the feel of a proper break, and the bill splits nicely. Book early for half term, Christmas and New Year, when the bigger lodges go first!

If none of these is free for your dates, browse more lodge and cabin ideas, or start your search for a cottage with a hot tub anywhere in the UK and relax.