In partnership with Campsites.co.uk
When does a glamping pod cross over into a luxurious wooden chalet? Well, I think we may have found the answer this weekend, at Lee Wick Farm on the Essex coast.
Lee Wick Farm is located in a tiny coastal village called Point Clear, a 15 minute drive from Clacton-on-Sea. It's about an hour north of London, an hour from Cambridge and about three hours' drive from Leicester or Birmingham.
Anyway, I'm sure you're here to have a look inside our glamping pod (nay wooden lodge) so let's get stuck in.
The Lushna Mezzanine Suite
For this review trip we stayed in a Lushna Mezzanine Suite - a four-berth wooden chalet with a kitchen, bathroom, sun terrace with a BBQ and log burner, a private garden and wood-fired hot tub. Our Lushna was the largest of three sizes, costing between £65-£120 per night.
On arrival, we parked up in a designated parking space and wheeled our luggage up to our Lushna with the help of a trailer - as demonstrated by Richard here.
"Daddy, why do I have to wheel all the bags over?"
"It's your prize, babe, for asking whether we're almost here sixteen times in the car."
As you can see the Lushna chalets are located along a landscaped path, a nice distance from each other and separated with tall wicker fencing.
Our Lushna Mezzanine Suite was pristine, almost brand new - in fact we wondered whether we might be its first guests.
Layout
The Lushna's layout is clever. Through the large bi-folding doors there's a living room with a dining table and a comfy sofa. The ceiling is very high, providing an illusion of space and loads of light.
A small corridor on the right leads through to a modern bathroom with a shower, sink and boiler.
A stairwell to the left of the living space leads to a bright little kitchen, including a fridge, induction hob, microwave, sink and all the utensils and crockery you need for a family of four.
Above the kitchen and bathroom there's a lofty mezzanine space with three single mattresses, large enough to arrange into a king-size bed. Beneath the window (hidden by the boys' mattresses) there are five or six handy plug sockets.
The sofa in the living room pulls out into a double sofa-bed. By the way, sheets are included but you do need to take other bedding with you.
Outside, the view from the terrace is, frankly, spectacular. Miles of Essex farmland and the north sea in the distance. In the evening we sat by the log-burner with bubbly (lemonade for the boys) and relaxed. Lovely.
The garden's a fair size, too and completely private. You're not allowed ball games at Lee Wick Farm but we took along our wooden skittles (thanks to a technicality suggested by Lyall!) which was a perfect way to keep the boys occupied.
There aren't any communal facilities for us to review like other glamping sites, because all the Lushna chalets have their own private facilities.
Other notable facilities include a brick BBQ, steel log-burner and a fantastic wooden log-fired hot tub, available at an extra cost. It was hot and sunny during our visit so we didn't use the hot tub, but it would be wonderful in the winter months.
Clacton-on-Sea
Clacton is a 15 minute bus ride away, departing from the bus stop at the end of the farm track - a family day ticket is about £6. We'd suggest you get the bus because parking in Clacton is expensive and limited.
Clacton is a quintessential British seaside town. It has a lovely clean, sandy beach, a (slightly tired) town centre with several pubs and amusement arcades, pretty gardens and a fantastic pier - in fact we all decided Clacton Pier was the best of its kind we've ever seen.
We were lucky enough to have fluked a very warm sunny day, so Lyall and Richard spent all afternoon in their swimmers, dipping in and out of the sea. The beach huts at Clacton were a particular favourite of ours!
Summary and booking info
Lee Wick Farm gets a huge thumbs up from our family. The glamping site is peaceful and well designed to offer privacy and plenty of space.
The Lushnas (even the smaller Lushnas) are spacious with all the mod cons you might expect from any high end chalet and an astonishing view over Essex farmland and the distant sea.
To book a stay in the Lushnas at Lee Wick Farm, visit Campsites.co.uk and search for Clacton.
A quick disclaimer. Here at Daddy & Dad we supplement our content by working with family-friendly brands and businesses. We'd like to thank Lee Wick Farm for providing our stay, arranged by Campsites.co.uk in return for this blog feature and photographs. Thanks - Jamie, Tom and boys x
Links:
Campsites.co.uk/glamping
