Even the highest-end hotels can be problematic for those with burnout – or those simply a bit overwhelmed by the world. Unless you’re in a well-designed suite, chances are that you’ll hear other guests slamming bedroom doors or using the bathroom in the adjacent room. South Lodge, a sprawling Victorian hotel just 50 miles from London – south of Horsham in East Sussex – addresses the issue of seclusion in style. Late last summer [i.e. late 2024], it opened eight brand-new individual lodges overlooking a man-made mini-lake/maxi-pond that are so private you can bathe outside on a generous terrace and only be seen by ducks. 

The lakeside lodges are collectively known as “The Reeds”: two are spa lodges with their own walk-in steam showers and infrared halotherapy saunas which detoxify, relax, reduce inflammation and improve sleep. The other six, including the one we stayed in, are fitted out Scandi-style, have double-height windows that pull the light in, a fully equipped kitchen and two super-comfortable double bedrooms over two floors. It was lashing with rain for much of the 24 hours we were there, so we didn’t sample the copper bath on the sundeck nor sit and snooze on the outdoor sofa, but it didn’t matter. We sat inside instead, gazing out at the ancient trees hosting squirrel races and – an interesting quirk – at the water lilies sourced from Monet’s garden in Giverny. As Betrand Russell once said, ‘It is only in an atmosphere of quiet that true joy can live.’

The tranquillity of The Reeds is seductive, but the wild swimming and £14m spa cannot be ignored. First, a dip in the newly built mini lake. There’s a coat rack for the Dryrobe found hanging in the wardrobe in the lodge, a lifeguard who supplies a float to attach to your waist and a ladder taking you from the jetty into the 17-degree water – we were there in late autumn. Hardened wild swimmers will likely immerse themselves immediately in the water; I might have been on the ladder for longer if the lifeguard wasn’t keeping an eye on me. In the end, sheer embarrassment forced me into the bracing water and off I went, watching the swallows and martins swooping as I swam for the recommended 15 minutes. When I emerged, endorphins and adrenaline surged through me and once again I remembered why so many are hooked on cold water swimming. 

The lifeguard offered hot tea, but instead my daughter and I walked briskly through a short woodland trail to the 18m reed-filtered swimming pool, which is heated to an invigorating 16C. It’s a sensational experience: the pool is flanked by grasses and shrubs and a welcome antidote to sewage-swamped seas and rivers. We warmed up in the vast outdoor hydrotherapy pool where local members gossiped and luxuriated in the toasty 22m indoor infinity pool looking out towards the South Downs. 

There is more: the spa also houses a botanical sauna, a salt steam room, freezing cold showers (and hot ones, of course), a state-of-the-art gym, spin and yoga studios and 14 treatment rooms offering everything from pro-sleep massages to TheraFace facials. You can borrow bikes to explore the 93 acres of stunning parkland in which South Lodge sits, or play on one of the two tennis courts overlooking a young vineyard. Guests of The Reeds – and of the 96 rooms in the main house – are offered extended spa access from 10am on arrival day to 5pm on check-out day. 

Back in the lakeside lodge, physically exhausted and mentally rejuvenated, there is just about time to enjoy the complimentary drinks and snacks before heading to dinner in the original hotel building – since the skies are so dark, a member of staff appears in a golf buggy to give us a ride to the dairy-free Botanica, where waste is a dirty word. Other dining options are The Pass, which is Michelin-starred, has 28 covers and an open kitchen and Camellia, with its three AA Rosettes, which is supplied in part by the hotel’s walled garden. 

Later, utterly sated, we sleep in plush bedding and listen to the rain falling softly on the roof. In the morning, we are surprised to find a breakfast hamper in the internal hatch since we didn’t hear anyone delivering it. There is more than we can eat: a freshly baked loaf, still warm; flaky pastries; local yogurt; cheese; a whole avocado and so on. When there’s a lull in the rain, we slide the doors open and decide that if we were Succession rich, we’d really rather like to stay here forever.  

Lakeside Lodges start at £1,200 per night including breakfast; Spa Lodges start at £1,400 including breakfast