Burrington Premier

The Burrington Premier sits near the top of Cheddar Woods Resort, and the position tells straight away. From the decking, the Somerset countryside stretches out green and open below you, with the kind of light that changes through the day. Lodges lower down in the park don't get this, and it's the first thing you notice when you step onto the decking.

Inside, the living space is bigger than you'd expect. The kitchen is fully kitted out with a fridge/freezer, washer/dryer, dishwasher, and a wine cooler that earns its keep on the first evening. An open-plan layout connects the kitchen to a comfortable living area with a widescreen TV and a dining space that seats two without feeling cramped. It's clean and modern throughout, the kind of place where you can cook properly or just pull together a cheese board and not feel like you're roughing it.

The bedroom has a king-size bed, and the en suite is worth mentioning on its own. A freestanding bath, properly deep and worth running slowly, plus a separate shower for mornings when you want to get going. The finish is contemporary, and the bathroom alone puts the Burrington a step above what most lodges manage.

Step through the patio doors, and you're onto the decking, where the hot tub sits facing the view. It gets checked daily by the resort team, so the water is clean and the temperature is right when you get in. The seats sit at different depths with different jets, which means you find a comfortable spot and settle. On a clear evening with the countryside laid out in front of you, it's the best seat in the park.

You don't have to leave the resort to fill a day. Cheddar Woods has a heated indoor pool, a sauna, a steam room, and the Eden Spa if you want a proper treatment. The Bistro handles dinner well, and between March and August, the outdoor Pizza Alfresco oven fires up on the terrace. WiFi covers the lodge, and parking is right outside.

Check-in is from 2 pm, two hours earlier than the standard resort time, so you get a proper run in the afternoon. Beyond Cheddar Woods, the village of Cheddar is minutes away and has been making cheese since the 12th century. Cheddar Gorge is well worth a full afternoon exploring above and below ground. Wookey Hole is 8 miles, Wells and its Gothic cathedral are about the same, and if you want a beach, Brean Down is 13 miles west. Glastonbury Tor sits about 15 miles out, and Bath is an easy 25-mile drive for the Roman baths and a good lunch.