Cheddar Lodge Premier WF

Most Premier lodges at Cheddar Woods follow the same template. This one is different. The Cheddar Lodge Premier WF has been designed with accessibility woven in from the start: the second bathroom is a full wet room with level access, bed heights suit anyone who finds a standard divan awkward, and the whole lodge runs on one level. It is still a contemporary Premier lodge with the same clean finish and the same hot tub on the deck. The difference is who gets to enjoy it.

Inside, the open-plan living space runs wide and sociable. A large kitchen lines one wall, with enough counter space for proper cooking, and a dining area fills the middle ground between the kitchen and the lounge. Patio doors run along the far wall, and when they are open, the deck and living room feel like one space. The lounge has had new furniture fitted recently, and the whole room holds together well for a quiet evening or a rainy afternoon.

The master bedroom has a double bed and its own en suite shower room, keeping morning routines separate. A twin room handles the second pair, and the wet room sits between the two bedrooms as the main bathroom. The floor runs level throughout, properly spacious, with no step to trip over or work around. Beds are comfortable and sit at a height that makes getting in and out straightforward, which sounds like a small thing until you have needed it.

Out on the deck, the sunken hot tub sits with the Mendip hillside rising behind and open countryside rolling ahead. The resort team checks the water daily, so it is ready when you are. On a quiet evening, the hills go still around you, and the only sound is the water. Everything else can wait.

The resort fills the gaps without needing the car. Cheddar Woods has a heated pool with a children's section alongside, sauna, steam room, and the Eden Spa, offering Aromatherapy Associates and Dermalogica treatments. Spa appointments tend to go quickly in peak season, so book before you arrive. There is a bar and restaurant on-site, and a log-fired pizza oven gets going between spring and August. Premier lodges check in from 2 pm, a couple of hours before the standard 4 pm.

Cheddar Gorge is minutes from the resort gate. Limestone cliffs on both sides, walking trails across the top, and a cave network winding underneath. Cheddar cheese has come out of this village since the twelfth century, and the Lion Rock Tearooms make a good stop after a morning on the trails. Wookey Hole is about 8 miles for more caves, the beach at Brean Down is 13 miles, and Glastonbury Tor is 15 miles out across the Somerset Levels. Wells and its Gothic cathedral are close enough for a half-day, and Bath is about 25 miles for a full afternoon. But the best bit might be heading back to the deck and letting the hot tub do the hard work.