Having a weekend away is the perfect opportunity to feel like you’ve travelled and escaped, but you don’t have to go far to enjoy some of the beautiful cities or seaside towns the UK has to offer. I’m based down in Bournemouth, so Lyme Regis was just over an hour’s drive away along the coast. Benji & I wanted to celebrate his birthday, and when I asked where we wanted to go, he suggested Lyme Regis. His family are from there and he’s visited almost every year, but it was a first for me and I couldn’t wait to see what it had to offer.
We arrived on a bit of a drizzly Friday afternoon in November, and booked a little retreat called Hedgehog Corner. We found it on Google after looking for somewhere with a hot tub, and picked The Retreat (although next time, we’re trying the Acorns). There’s something a bit nice about getting in a hot tub with the cold winter air outside, so we were sold on this element. We packed some food, several bottles of prosecco, a portable speaker, cosy clothes, slippers, wellies and some DVD’s…perfect.
The retreat was a lot more modern than I thought it would be, but we LOVED it. You have to book for two nights which was actually really perfect. When we walked in, there were plastic boxes by the door with towels for the hot tub, spare flip flops and a big torch. Joy, the owner, has gone as far as labelling everything and really taken the time to think about what guests might want or need. The lounge had a lovely reclining sofa and a TV (with built in DVD player), but no wifi. We like watching Netflix and catch-up shows on our laptop, but ended up watching a couple of Disney films we bought with us instead. It certainly wouldn’t put us off visiting again, but worth noting.
The bathroom had an amazing power shower, it was so hot and perfect for washing my hair after the hot tub. The bedroom was snug too, a big thick duvet and comfortable mattress. We hung our clothes in the wardrobe and had easy plug sockets by the bed to charge our phones. Finally, the kitchen had absolutely everything, when it says ‘fully functioning’ it really means everything! We loved cooking our dinner in there on Saturday night. Joy left a basket with some breakfast bits, fresh homemade bread, milk, eggs and juice in the fridge too.
On the Friday night, for Benji’s birthday, we booked to eat at Hix Fish & Oyster House near The Cobb. I’d heard amazing things and WOW, it did not disappoint. We got a taxi from our little place which cost no more than £10, and arrived to the friendliest staff at the restaurant. We arrived early, so they took us downstairs to the kitchen, gave us a complimentary drink, and showed us where the magic happens. We had the opportunity to ask the Sous Chef some questions, and were torn for what to have, but saw the most amazing Fish Pie leave the kitchen and were both instantly sold. I had a prawn cocktail to start, whilst Benji had Garlic Mayo Cuttlefish. We shared a bottle of Rosé, and finished up with a chocolate mousse for dessert. It was one of the best meals we’ve ever had. A solid 10/10.
On Saturday, we walked into town for shopping and ended up purchasing a large portion of our Christmas gifts for our families! Everywhere was so quaint and pretty, I loved mooching in and out. We were greeted by so many small business owners, and stopped for some chips on The Cobb for lunch. It chucked with rain so we took shelter in the arcades and played our favourite games.
I’m a sucker for a seaside town, especially living so close to the sea in Bournemouth, but Lyme Regis was so peaceful, that I genuinely felt like we had escaped. On Sunday, we used a Treasure Trail I had purchased online for Benji’s birthday, essentially a walking guide to find clues and significant points to help guide us around Lyme Regis. We loved it, and completed it in about two hours. We stopped for Cornish Pasties and took more photos, before heading back home. The car park was only £2 to park for the whole day too, so easy and convenient.
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