A night at Stewton Stars Hideaway in Lincolnshire

The build up to the return of school is big, for the children and the parents, at least I always find it so. For the last few weeks, my time has been taken up with ordering multiple school items online, school-shop trips, returning ill-fitting shoes, buying the wrong school blouses (“I hate the pocket!”), convincing my eldest that her year-8 shoes will have to do for a bit, patiently waiting whilst my youngest two chose their lunch bags, hot-footing it to the nearest big shop to buy the right cycling shorts to go under my middle child’s schools skirt and gearing myself up for everything back-2-school.

By the time all of my children were back in the classroom on Thursday of last week, I have to be honest, I felt pretty flat. The summer is a lot with 3-kids and the build up to start of school adds to that, especially when children are reluctant to go back and are used to the 11pm bedtimes and 9am wakeups that became the norm throughout August.

I was tired and I needed some time for me. I had heard about glamping, but had never given it a try. I had been following Stewton Stars Hideaway on instagram for a while and because it wasn’t far from my home, I was intrigued. My interested was piqued even further when I learned that it was being run by fellow Mum of three, Jessica. We got ‘chatting’ on instagram and a few days later Jess invited me to stay at Stewton Stars for a night. I am not religious, but this act of kindness from Jess was like an angel swooping down from the sky and answering all of my (knackered) prayers. I, of course, said YES!

Stewton Stars Hideaway is perfect for couples, small families, writers, stargazers, walkers and those who are seeking pure relaxation. I chose to take my middle child with me (always feel slightly too guilty going off on my own unless it is work related) and so Ivy was my relaxation partner for the night. She is my middle child and has two lively siblings and does get a bit forgotten, at times. She can be quiet and loves reading and can often be found in her room devouring a David Walliams book. Occasionally, I have to remove her from the home to make sure she gets the attention that she deserves and a night away was just the ticket. She has her 11+ test next week and is a bit confused by it, so we took a few study books with us to look through together.

Our accommodation for the night was Orion. A two bed wooden house that has invitingly cosy beds, a kitchenette area and loads of space. The smell of wood wafts over you as you enter the den-like space and as we walked around, we both exclaimed “OMG this is gorgeous!” over and over and over again.

Everything about the stay was superb. In no particular order; Jess is fab, we had dinner (fish n chips from Parkinson’s Fish & Chips – a good chippy in Louth – under 10-mins away) on the beautifully lit balcony area and washed up afterwards in the luxe outdoor kitchen space, we had fun watching the clouds from the Solis Terrace area and talking about which animal they looked like whilst spinning on the fab circular chairs with squidgy cushions, we used the supplied squirrel food to entice the little creatures to have a snack – which they did, we showered in the huge private walk-in showers in the pigsty area, wandered around in the pitch black with glow-sticks (another considerate gift), tried every setting on the fairy lights which decorated the rooms and balcony area and after brushing our teeth in the bathroom area, we went back to cosy Orion to read in bed.

“I love it here” said Ivy multiple times, and “I don’t want to leave” was the other thing she kept repeating. Within a few hours, she was as relaxed as I was.

I had nearly 10-hours sleep that night, cocooned in my ridiculously comfy bed. My daughter did, too. Sadly, we missed the sunrise, which I know would have been gorgeous from the terrace area, but the rest (and beds!) felt more important for this stay.

 

We brought fresh fruit with us and so started the day with a cuppa (all provided) and a light breakfast on the outside table, whilst listening to the sound of nature around us – and it was one of the best mornings I have had for a long time. Rarely do I start a day in peace and this stay provided just that. Peace and tranquility in abundance. That said, the stay doesn’t have to be about doing nothing. The area is close to loads of kid and non-kid delights which Jess lists on the website here, there are plenty of useful leaflets in the room + food and takeaway menus, too.

The attention to detail at SS is second-to-none. Tea (herbal too), coffee and milk for us to use, two large bottles of water in the room upon arrival, cutlery, glasses, kettle and toaster, a pot of squirrel food, a bottle of aromatherapy insect repellent, an aromatherapy kit by Sage & Bellflower including a meditation mist, tranquility balm and flies away diffuser blend oil (to use in burner on the patio area) – which all smelt amazing. The bathrooms were well stocked with fluffy clean towels, loads of loo rolls, hotel style slippers and shampoo, conditioner and shower gel were in the showers for us to use. Whilst I waited for my daughter to have her shower on Sunday morning, I noticed a disk on the top of one of the bathroom door frames – presumably to rescue those who might have locked themselves in somehow – and this is what I mean by attention to detail at Stewton Stars. It is thoughtfully perfect. I cannot fault any of it.

A quick round of up why it is so good and why you should go:

• It is inexpensive and a stay starts at just £80 a night.
• The glamping homes are solid, shaded and not boiling hot (the day we stayed it was 30-degrees).
• There are just 3 wooden glamping homes and so it doesn’t feel busy.
• The beds are insanely comfortable and for the winter there are heated blankets and hot water bottles.
• (Angel) Jessica and her husband Darren are welcoming to the max!
• If you love BBQ’s this is your place! Each balcony has a top notch bit of kit to cook the infamous Lincs bangers on!
• The birdsong and wildlife helps you to remember the important bits of life whilst forcing you into a state of relaxation.
• There are trees everywhere and the benefit of trees for overall human health is well documented (Woodland Trust article)
• Everyone needs to stop! – and this is the perfect place to do it.
• There is no WiFi.
• You can make noise, play music, take your kids and have fun – it isn’t a silent place.
• Lincolnshire is the place to be! (I say that as a born and bred yellowbelly)
• It is close to the town of Louth for food, shops and bits you might need.
• You will leave feeling better.

And that, my dear readers is that.

I will be recommending Stewton Stars Hideaway to everyone I know, seriously. It ticks all the boxes if you need time out, are getting over something big, need tie with your lover, need a weekend with your best mate, need to escape the stresses of work, need to do some work in an inspiring place, need a space to think or heal, need time alone or you simply want to spend time with a child or family member (and do not a lot), like I did.

Jess is massively inclusive and welcomes people from all walks of life – except nudists. Whilst she is not one to judge people for their lifestyle choices, she explained that Stewton Stars isn’t a place for those who love to do the washing up starkers. She has recently signed up Travel Proud – which is an initiative by booking.com to make travel more inclusive for LGBTQ+ travellers. Soon SS will be ‘Proud Certified‘.

I felt incredible after my stay and would love you to feel the benefits of it, too. Check out the website and follow Stewton Stars on instagram. Do let me know if you book and tell Jessica that you read about it on the GM blog. I’d love to hear about your stay after you’ve been 🙂

Make time for yourself (and for your fave people) – it is so incredibly important. 

Lucy aka Geriatric Mum

Follow Geriatric Mum on instagram @geriatric_mum – facebook @geriatricmum  and twitter @geriatric_mum

BIG NEWS: Stewton Stars have been nominated for the Camping, Glamping and Holiday Park of the Year 2023 award at Destination Linconshire Tourism Awards. See more here. 

#gifted 1-night stay at Stewton Stars Hideaway. Thank you with all my being to Jessica and Darren for the generosity and for making me feel human again.