Wake up to wild horses: hotel luxury meets total privacy at Lime Wood Hotel's newest retreat

It’s the wild horses that make the New Forest such an otherworldly place. Roaming freely in groups or wandering solo – always with an air of nonchalance – it’s wonderfully calming just to watch them. At Forest House, the brand new five-bedroom private home in the grounds of Lime Wood, they can be spotted from just about any window and their presence is tangible. Unsurprisingly, a stay goes hand in hand with a feeling of complete removal from the outside world.

Forest House is a place to retreat en masse, and as our car trundles along the earthy path to our lodgings on the first Friday of October, I feel sure that every one of our group will be at ease – no mean feat when you span three generations and a whole lot of interests.

But foolish am I to assume the surroundings will be the most impressive part about this stay. I’d heard incredible things about Lime Wood, from its sublime hospitality to its transformative wellness treatments, and checking in to Forest House was a chance to experience it tenfold. Literally – the property sleeps 10 people plus babies, and each room has its own en suite.

We’re met by one of the front of house team who not only knows us by name but by personal quirk, too: that it’s my dad’s birthday, for example, and that baby Harry recently discovered a new passion for tractors. I’d submitted a pre check-in form earlier that week, but I didn’t expect the notes to be interpreted so beautifully. In the kitchen, an exquisite chocolate birthday cake; in one of the bedrooms, a cot and a mound of age-appropriate farm toys; in the hallway, a size-ascending row of Hunter wellies – sparkling new on arrival and muddied from explorations by Sunday night.

After a tour of the house, we’re left to our own devices and everyone sets about de-camping, the adults chattering as excitedly as the children – all feeling gleeful and utterly spoiled. The house is newly renovated with a labyrinth of bedrooms inside. Interiors are masterminded by Susie Atkinson, who marries countryside charm with eclecticism and combines colour and pattern in a way that makes every space feel homely but never, ever twee. Stripes balance florals, furniture is striking yet comfortable, colours are bold, ceilings are high, and clever lighting softens the overall aesthetic.

We are the very first to stay, but there’s a certain kind of homeliness already – it’s immediately welcoming and totally set up for family life. Behind each door is a room somehow better than the last. I (ungraciously) shotgun the master bedroom with its whopping four-poster bed, impressive wood-beamed ceiling and standalone tub in the bathroom, where I find Bamford toiletries, fluffy white robes and night lights for the children. But had I been solo, perhaps I’d have been won over by the charming, smaller blue and red twin over a double? It was a tough choice.

The real wow-factor is the kitchen and everything in it. A drinks fridge is stocked with chilled, local wine and the main fridge houses all we might need for breakfast the next day. In true farmhouse style, rows of hens’ eggs sit on the wooden countertop, freshly baked sourdough scents the air and dresser drawers are crammed with snacks. We want for nothing and almost feel embarrassed unloading our own bags of supermarket goods – provisions we thought we might need that get demoted the minute we spot Lime Wood’s much better alternatives.

That evening, we’re delivered pizza bases and a potpourri of toppings that we pull, prep and cook in the snazzy stone oven in our garden. Padding back inside after sundown, we’re surprised by a turndown service – a subtle reminder that we are, in fact, in our own private corner of one of the UK’s very best hotels.

On Saturday morning, we’re met by Lime Wood’s wonderful in-house forager, Sammie, who takes us into the forest on the hunt for plant life, teaching us about its healing powers and history as we walk. This is just one of the experiences on offer for guests, and something I’d wholeheartedly recommend. Understanding even a jot of what the New Forest has to offer puts our entire stay into perspective, and unites our group in a unique and memorable way. For the rest of the day, we potter around pretending this is our everyday life, enjoying the Herb House spa and using the pool until dinner… which might just be the pinnacle of our stay.

As dusk settles, head bartender and cocktail extraordinaire, Fab, sets up in our garden, expertly prepping our favourite tipples and adding in new creative concoctions for good measure. As it turns out, a sunset margarita tastes even better in a private garden in the woodlands. Who knew?

Inside, Lime Wood's chef, Iain, takes over our kitchen and cooks up an Italian-inspired feast. Golden focaccia and plates of pillowy gnocchi to start, piping hot Hunter chicken with local wild mushrooms to follow and an enormous family-style tiramisu to finish. The quality is top tier and so is the service – knowledgeable, passionate and personable but wonderfully down to earth. Later, as we sink lazily into the sofas, there’s a sense of contentment in the air – a result of everything that’s made our stay so special. This was summer’s last hurrah and it turned out to be one of the year’s highest peaks. I arrived in awe of the New Forest’s wild horses and left with memories of a stay so beautiful it might be hard to beat.