Review: The Glass Lodge, Luxury Lodges – Cornwall

Over the Christmas holiday, we enjoyed a 3-night break at The Glass Lodge which is part of the Luxury Lodges Iconic Collection on the Clowance Estate in Cornwall.  The luxurious glass A-frame family lodge immediately stood out for me on the website and we couldn’t have been happier with our choice.

The Glass Lodge

Bedrooms

The Glass Lodge sleeps up to 6 guests in 3 bedrooms.  The master bedroom has a king-size bed, large wardrobe with two hanging rails, shelves, drawers and a safe, a dressing table with hideaway mirror as well as a full-length mirror.  There is an en-suite shower room with rainfall showerhead and separate showerhead and heated flooring.  To the back of the Lodge, there is access from the master bedroom to the private patio area to the rear of the lodge.

At the front of the lodge is a double/twin bedroom which became Will and Albie’s room with a large wardrobe as in the master bedroom and dressing table.  They loved the TV mounted above their beds.

The winning bedroom had to be twin room in the apex of the Glass Lodge shared by Lillie and Ollie.  The walls were beautifully hand-painted to represent cave walls with horses, cattle and writing adorning them.  The beds were low lying and the bedroom was separated by the stairs and a thick curtain before opening out to a balcony area which overlooked the dining room and lounge areas.  A child safety gate was in place at the top of the stairs.

Master Bathroom

There is a large master bathroom with freestanding bath, shower and heated towel rail but the biggest hit here was the underfloor heating – it became Ollie’s favourite place to lay after a day on the beach.  One thing we really liked about the bathroom was the storage drawer beneath the sink which meant that we could store all the toiletries out of sight (4 children make a LOT of mess).

Kitchen/Diner

The kitchen area has everything you could need to cater for yourself whilst you’re away from a double oven, hob, microwave, full-size fridge and freezer and most importantly a full-size dishwasher so you don’t even have to do the washing up (or get the children to do it).  Everywhere you looked, the Glass Lodge was all about the luxury experience from the Dualit toaster, kettle and coffee maker to cutlery, utensils and crockery.

Lounge

This was perhaps my favourite area of the lodge, all the light flooding in, the high ceilings and the intricate painting on the walls (although Will wasn’t so keen on the seagulls after an altercation with one in St Ives a few years ago – longstanding family joke).  From the huge sofa which seated all 6 of us comfortably to the large flat-screen TV and the corner chair which both Will and I adopted very quickly, it just felt the perfect place to relax as a family.  We had so much fun playing board games (included with the lodge), charades, watching DVDs and snuggling with our feet up.

Hot Tub

Considering we were visiting in December I honestly didn’t think we would even consider setting foot in the hot tub but that thought went out of the window the minute we arrived.  We only lifted the lid ‘to have a look‘ and that was enough to tempt us in.

Clowance Estate

The Clowance Estate boasts 97 acres of beautifully landscaped parkland and woodland, an 18th Century Manor House, private golf course, tennis courts and boating lake – and that’s just outdoors.  Inside you will find a gym, the Clowance Spa, swimming pool with jacuzzi and restaurant/cafe/bar with evening entertainment.

Our Stay with Luxury Lodges

We arrived mid-afternoon at Clowance Estate to a warm welcome from the Reception Staff and the great news that our Lodge was ready for us to access immediately.  We loved the feel of the Clowance Estate as drove through, so much lush greenery and open spaces, it felt like somewhere we could explore and enjoy being outdoors.

First Impressions

What’s not to love about The Glass Lodge? From the moment we set foot inside there were oohs and ahhs from each of us as we discovered a room or a feature which stole our attention.  Lillie and Ollie very quickly claimed the apex room or the Cave Room as they renamed it.  I had a little giggle when I went upstairs and saw how quickly they had unpacked their belongings to make their own little spaces apparent.  I don’t think we saw them again for at least an hour!

Will very quickly saw the hot tub and staked his claim on jumping in first so whilst Albie and I enjoyed a game of Top Trumps, Simon and Will grabbed the opportunity to relax in the bubbles before preparing a meal to settle us in for the evening.

We had driven over 6 hours to the Clowance Estate so our only plans for the evening were to eat, play a few games and then relax in front of the TV.  On that first evening, both Simon and I commented how the Glass Lodge was the perfect size for us.  We had enough space so that we didn’t feel like we were all on top of each other but likewise, we were all still close enough that we could keep an eye on everyone.

Clowance Manor House

After a restorative night’s sleep and a dip in the hot tub, we walked up to the Manor House to have a better look around.  Outside Ollie and Albie found the large Chess and Draughts games, something they enjoy playing on a smaller scale when we go camping (Ollie won).  Inside Simon challenged Will, Lillie and Ollie to a game of doubles pool whilst Albie played on the Lego wall and I relaxed with my Kindle and a coffee in the bar area.

Clowance Spa

Simon and I were each gifted a 30-minute spa treatment which we upgraded ourselves to a 60-minute full-body massage.  Whilst Simon went to the Spa for his massage, the children and I went for a walk around the boating lake and back to the lodge for some warming soup and fresh bread.  Later we swapped over, so whilst I went for my massage Simon took the children swimming in the indoor heated pool.

Visiting South Cornwall

Lizard Point and Lizard Lighthouse/Heritage Centre

We couldn’t visit South Cornwall without a trip to Lizard Point, the most southerly place in the United Kingdom.  We took a tour of Lizard Lighthouse which has been guiding vessels through the English Channel for 260 years.  It was a fascinating tour and the first lighthouse that we have ever actually stepped inside.  We were able to climb all the way up to the top where we learnt more about how the lighthouse operates and how it is maintained.

Afterwards, we took a walk down to the beach to skim stones and search for fossils.  There are a few small shops and cafes here but they were closing as we arrived.

We parked in the National Trust car park which meant that our parking was free because we are National Trust members.

St Michael’s Mount

St Michael’s Mount is a beautiful tidal island in Mount’s Bay.  Access is via a causeway which is uncovered at low tide or via boat when the causeway is closed.  On the day we visited the causeway was open to walkers from 10.30 am to 3.30 pm and it takes about 30 minutes to cross (depending on how fast you walk or whether you have children with you).

Once on the Mount, you can explore the village and harbour which is very pretty and interesting, we spent a lot of time in the village visitor centre, reading about life on the Mount and watching the video of the Mount through the seasons.

As National Trust members we were able to visit the castle on the mount with our membership.  The climb to the Castle is via the cobbled causeway which is not the most accessible, it’s quite a taxing climb but the view and the Castle at the top are worth it.  The Castle gardens were closed on our visit but we were still able to view them from the Castle walls, they looked beautiful.

Mousehole

We visited Mousehole on the recommendation of a friend who saw that we were in the area.  It wasn’t a place we’d heard of but she said it would be worth it and she was right.  Mousehole is a cute fishing village and port between Penzance and Land’s End with tiny roads, quaint cottages and enough gift shops to keep the tourists happy.

Since we were visiting between Christmas and New Year, we had the added bonus of seeing the Mousehole Harbour Lights.  It was light when we arrived so we decided to go for a walk along the rocky beach.  Here we discovered a man who was balancing large stones on the beach, it was so relaxing watching him the children decided to join in.  Lillie mastered it!!

At 5 pm the Harbour Lights came on to a round of applause from the public gathered around the walls.  This was a real treat for the children, they have never seen anything quite like it.

Time to go home . . .

When the time came to say goodbye, it was with a very heavy heart.  Our 3-night break in South Cornwall had been everything that we hoped for and more.  The Luxury Lodges on the Clowance Estate provided the perfect ‘home from home’ where we could have fun, connect and relax whilst also being the ideal base to make the most of the facilities on the estate as well as visit the local area.  We wouldn’t change a single thing about our stay.

Overview

The Glass Lodge sleeps up to 6 people, has 3 bedrooms and a private hot tub.  Prices start at £650.

Visit Luxury Lodge’s website for further information and to book your break.

Clowance Estate & Country Club, Praze-an-Beeble, Camborne, TR14 0PT