Retreat East

I organised a weekend retreat for my running and wellness group and Retreat East delivered on all accounts. The accommodation was stunning, the food was delicious and the customer service went above and beyond to ensure we'd have a fantastic stay. Will happily return again.

We had a lovely 2 night stay in a shepherd’s hut, we stayed in the cote which had a lovely view and felt very private with a pleasant decking area we enjoyed in the evening. The huts are small as you’d expect, the beds are super comfy and there were some nice touches to welcome you in. We loved the bookable exclusive use of the gym, hot tub and the sauna/steam room, this was great. We ate lunch and dinner at the great barn, the food was tasty and the breakfast was nice. All the staff were great but especially Richard whose presence made everything run smoothly, he was attentive and bought a professional but very personable feel to our visit, you felt like you were in good hands. Thanks for an enjoyable stay 😊

Just returned from our first stay at Retreat East. An amazing venue, the barn we had (Granary) was spotless, large and very comfortable with a small enclosed area where our dog could safely go about her business. Everyone we met was very helpful and accommodating. All meals we had were also very tasty and of excellent quality. Its very secluded and the car park is a bit of a way from the barns and may benefit from some form of entry /exit system to ensure the cars are safe, but we didn’t experience any issues whilst we were there. A very good find and we will certainly return.

A lovely relaxing stay, it’s very peaceful and the staff and very welcoming. The afternoon tea was wonderful and the food is of a high standard. We stayed in the piggery which has its own courtyard and is quite spacious. If you need peace and quiet and want to escape for a few days it’s perfect.

This is a lovely place to stay. All staff are chatty, friendly and helpful. We did have to ask if we could have new cushions for the outside seating area as they were soaking wet. Maybe they should have a place for these to be stored in the huts as the swing chair cushion had started to turn green. Also as it’s such a beautiful venue, although some bits looked a bit tired, I couldn’t work out why there is white sheeting around different outside areas when they could have used fake greenery, it just didn’t look nice.

Summary: Lovely, quiet, peaceful location. Ideal for a quick getaway break and some R&R. But, price and atmosphere just take that edge off. Average, not exceptional. Food: We chose to eat locally rather than at Retreat East, except for breakfast which was pleasant but pricey for what it was. £9 for a bacon sandwich is something you’d expect to find in a fancy London restaurant, not here. A shame. Atmosphere: Sadly, the atmosphere is lacking a little something. It feels a little soulless; somewhat formulaic and generic. Where’s the view into the fields from the bathtub? The personal welcoming touches? The little things to say “you’re here, in the countryside… now relax and enjoy”. They could make so much more of this. Facilities: Facilities are fine - sauna is especially lovely - but the requirement to book a 30 minute slot (that’s your allowance) felt a little too disciplined for a couple wanting to relax and go with the flow. It plays into the very formulaic, less personal feel to Retreat East. It’s a shame. Now, don’t get me wrong, I see why they do it, but when it’s not overly busy it’s a shame the rules are enforced. I also didn’t realise there was a small gym until checking out, a shame it wasn’t mentioned before. Accommodation: The accommodation was lovely. Bed very comfy and we slept like logs. The outdoor bath was a real plus. Very private and tranquil and one of the reasons we booked this particular accommodation. Cleanliness: While generally very clean throughout, it was a shame to notice under the bed seemingly hadn’t been cleaned in a long time with lots of dust rolls. Fortunately I only noticed as I went to retrieve an escaped AirPod before checking out, but not what you expect for premium accommodation. Car parking: The car park is a short walk away and there’s a bit of a fuss about not parking on site overnight. Even the suggestion of a £50 fine in the welcome brochure. However, we found people tended to park on site closer to the accommodation overnight and the rules are seemingly not enforced. We stuck to the rules, of course. They have EV charging, including a Tesla fast charger nearer to the accommodation and there’s also accessible parking but note that most pathways are gravel which could be tricky for wheelchair users. Pricing: We got the midweek price deal which was still a little steep all things considered. We’d be happy to pay this price for a little more soul and greater freedom around facility use. Summary: Difficult to rate this one. The price doesn’t quite match the experience, a little steep when cleanliness and facilities are taken into account. The price of food also not helping here. But, still a lovely site in a nice countryside location where you do truly feel able to relax. I wouldn’t knock it, and I’d certainly come back. I just hope they can make it feel a bit more special, a bit more personal and less formulaic. That way, they might just help it find its soul. It’s just missing that extra some

Just back from a great relaxing evening at retreat East. From the moment we arrived we were warmly welcomed and shown around our accommodation and the site. We stayed in the Rookery and the room was pristine and had everything we needed. The food for dinner and Breakfast was great and the restaurant staff were super attentive and friendly. We will be back again.

If I could rate the facilities and the food separately I would have rated 4 or 5. Food is excellent (great breakfast), spa facilities are fine and levels of service pretty good. What let our trip down was the accommodation. Because of the size of our family group we stayed in the Farmhouse which is very old worldy and quaint. No problem with that but sadly it really needs some money spending on it. It wasn't that clean, ladybirds (dead and alive) everywhere and windows were nailed shut. Understandbly there is no aircon which means you must be able to open the windows to get some fresh air in. There are air fresheners but they don't cut it. A number of them were broken and it looks as if someone decided they were too expensive to fix and just closed them permanently. For the price charged, this isn't very good and I doubt in hot weather that this would be bearable. Would we go again? Yes for the reasons above and the fact that the location is great, very peaceful, walks from the front door etc etc - but really the Farmhouse needs some attention.

Our first visit and I would say that on arrival the staff was very friendly and helpful. It’s a very relaxed and friendly atmosphere we had no problems booking treatments but then again it didn’t seem that busy. The food was very nice but a bit over priced especially the desserts that were small in portions but inflated in price (£11 for what was relatively two scoops of ice cream) But generally quite happy with it all a nice peaceful setting good variations of accommodation if I was to recommend anything to add then probably an introduction of a swimming pool would be nice and some sun beds or deck chairs to use outside your accommodation. I did like the fact that if you booked the sauna/steam room it was exclusive to you….. nice touch that