NEP-E01-S2 EP01 Visit our website www.thisisnottingham.co.uk Thursday March 15, 2012 Nottingham Post 31

TravelRaising a glass to theperfect place to relaxSITTING in the hot, steamingbubbles, with a glass of rathercolder bubbles in hand, themood could hardly have beenmore idyllic.As I sipped champagne in a

hot tub and watched cowsgraze lazily just 20 yards away,with thedistant sun setting in aspectacular orange haze, Icould not have felt more re-laxed.Only a 30-minute drive from

home, it felt half a world awayfrom the stresses and strains ofthe normal working day.As a couple walked by with

their dogs and issued a cheery“good evening”, I silentlyvowed that, tomorrow, I wouldbuy some swimming trunks, asI slipped further beneath thestream of bubbles that wereprotecting my modesty.The fact that this potentially

mildly embarrassing momentwas the only stressful incidentof the stay says a great deal.This was, in fact, virtually

the only othermomentwe evensaw anyone else in the groundsof the park in Thoresby, as werelaxed in a lodge that was asluxurious and homely as anyhotel I had ever stopped in.There were a dozen or so

lodges spread throughout apretty woodland clearing butnone overlooked each other.So, whether you were sitting

in the tub – and I can reassureyou that I was properly dressedevery time after that near-miss– or just relaxing on the ex-pansive decking that led off theliving room, you felt a sense ofperfect privacy.Thepresumption is that such

a break is aimed at outdoorsykinds of people; those who like

to get up at 8am and take thedogs for an epic walk in themiles of surrounding parklandand villages.I am not one of those people.

But I still felt perfectly athome.The temptation, on the first

night, was actually to do noth-ing, so tranquil were the sur-roundings.So we did. I cooked up some

steaks in a kitchen equippedbetter than the one I have athome, another bottle of winewas opened and we sat, relaxedand looked at the stars, as clearas dayoutside of the glare of thecity.The only time the peace was

broken was when some excitedsquealing rose from the bath-room, where complimentaryMolten Brown toiletries hadbeen discovered. This, I am as-sured, is a big deal.This was symbolic of the

tasteful surroundings, withEgyptian cotton sheets in thelovely bedrooms, beautifullyfinished bathrooms and ahomely living area with TVand DVD.There were only two of us in

a three-bedroom lodge, whichwould have been perfect forfour or a family but perhaps a

little cramped for six adults.I was eventually cajoled into

leaving the lodge to go on a bikeride – they are available to hireon site for £10 a day – whichwas an interesting experience,mainly as I had not ridden abike inmore than a decade. Butwe were able to explore pic-turesque Thorseby Park andthe surrounding areas – andcause traffic chaos on the roadas I panted and wheezed up anever-ending hill.It also proved to be a useful

outing, as it inspired us to visitThorseby Hall for an outstand-ing dinner that evening.The Blue Room is one of

three restaurants at the hoteland the highlight of our mealwas the “taste of the sea” dish,which included a shrimp cock-tail, sea trout tartar, caviar, apoached quail egg, a scallopand cauliflower puree. If youenjoy seafood, you would behappy, as the hake and the seabass were also delicious.A short cab ride took us back

to the lodge and, in the morn-ing and the only hard part ofthe stay was trying to motivateourselves to leave.■ Two-bedroom lodges areavailable to rent from £265 aweek, depending on the time ofyear. The cost of a three-bed-room “traditional” luxurylodge with hot-tub for athree-night weekend stay forfour in July is £675.

Paul Taylor spent a weekend at the SherwoodHideaway, in Thoresby, taking in a meal atThoresby Hall Hotel

Tranquil luxury: Views outside and inside Paul’s lodge at the Sherwood Hideaway.

The lodgewas asluxuriousandhomely asany hotelI hadstopped in

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