River Coquet Luxury Hot Tub Retreat

HOTEL OVERVIEW

Honestly, I wasn’t expecting much when I first turned down Leamington Lane – it’s one of those narrow Northumberland roads where you’re constantly checking your mirrors for tractors. But then you spot the River Coquet Luxury Hot Tub Retreat tucked away in Swarland, and suddenly the whole winding journey makes sense. This place doesn’t need a star rating because it’s doing something completely different from your typical hotel experience.

The first thing that hits you is how quiet it actually gets here. I mean, you’re maybe ten minutes from the A1 but you’d never know it – just the sound of the Coquet bubbling away in the background and the occasional sheep complaint from the neighboring fields. The hot tubs (and there are several scattered around the property) are positioned so you can soak while watching the river, which honestly beats any fancy spa treatment I’ve ever paid for in Newcastle or Edinburgh. What really impressed me was the attention to detail – proper thick towels that don’t go soggy after five minutes, and they’ve somehow managed to make the whole setup feel luxurious without being pretentious. You know what I mean? It’s the kind of place where you can show up in your hiking boots and still feel like you belong.

The accommodation itself is sort of a hybrid between glamping and a boutique hotel – timber lodges that are properly insulated and heated, not those flimsy pods you sometimes get stuck with. Each unit has its own hot tub, which is brilliant because you’re not sharing with strangers or waiting for your turn. The interiors are done up in that Scandi-meets-countryside style that actually works here, unlike some places that try too hard. Parking’s right outside your door, which might sound trivial until you’re hauling weekend bags and a cooler full of local cheese and wine (there’s a fantastic deli in nearby Alnwick if you’re planning ahead). The 9.1 rating makes total sense once you’ve been – it’s not perfect, the WiFi can be a bit patchy and the nearest proper restaurant is a drive away, but those feel like minor quibbles when you’re sitting in hot water under a proper dark sky full of stars. Best time to visit is probably late autumn or early spring when the river’s running high and the crowds haven’t discovered it yet, though I suspect that 9.1 rating means the secret’s already getting out.