The Works
Sleeps 16
Long Sutton, Somerset
Pool, hot tub and spa
Beyond the boundaries lie the loveliest gardens of all: Glastonbury Tor, St Michael’s Tower, haunt of Celtic god Gwyn-ap-Nudd, King of the Fairies and First Lord of the Underworld. In the distance, the Mendips and the Poldens rise to meet the big skies.
But for a more-cultivated experience, part the 45 feet of bifold doors and saunter out to the manicured lawns and long terrace. Cocktails in the hot tub on a summer’s day have a decadent appeal, and the shared outdoor pool comes heated to an inviting 28 degrees in summer, open May to September.
There’s a neat walled garden for pre-prandial strolling, barrel-table and chairs ready for an aperitif, and huge outdoor table for 16: butter the bread, top up your glasses and tuck in in the sunshine.
In the sauna and vaulted steam room with aromatherapy, the rolled white towels and heated seats are ready. Cool off with the bucket shower.
Relax in the treatment room with the expertise of a private masseur and other professionals offering treatments from hot bamboo massages to facials, and all at Somerset prices.
Living spaces
Enjoy luxurious, loft-style living complete with huge bifolds that let in the pure country air and the good vibes of a garden festooned with goodies. You’ll chill in the vast living area, toasting your toes in front of the bio-ethanol fire, but part of you will itch to chink glasses in the hot tub or break the surface of the heated pool.
If you resist scratching that itch, the sofas sprawl forever while your drinks sit on funky, quirky coffee tables and you plump up the warm, burnt-orange cushions. Settle back, top up your drink, get the popcorn ready – there’s a movie starting on Sky.
Set up the soundtrack on the Sonos system and shoot some pool or fire up the table football in the entertainment area. Chillax and let the light, bright and breezy living spaces at The Works work their magic.
Cooking and dining
Eat inside or out around huge tables, beneath vaulted ceilings or the wide-open South Somerset skies. Finish up your dip in the pool or your stew in the hot tub with a gathering around the 16-seat terrace table. Sizzle some steaks and sausages on the barbie, crack open the wine and come to life.
Cooking and dining here has an inside-out flow, with the vast bifold doors open wide and the culinary aromas drifting across the garden. The kitchen’s fully equipped for feasting, with two big fridges and separate freezer, but if you’d prefer the fully catered package, or just a celebratory meal, we’ll get our whites on.
Inside, the table’s equally vast, seating 16 and making for convivial chatter over bread and wine. Eating out? A delightful diversion across the fields brings you to Long Sutton and the low-beamed bars, log fires and woodburners that characterise the local pubs.
Head to The Devonshire Arms in the village, the top recommendation, famed among locals and attracting many more from over an hour’s drive away. With a private dining room, guests can call ahead and book to ensure the perfect dining experience is made easy. The Halfway House has won best pub in Somerset a handful of times. Find out why when you visit yourself!
Bedrooms
Deep in rural Somerset, where the loudest disturbance is the rattle of wheels over a cattle grid or the parp of a bike horn on the winding roads, you’ll dream deeply wrapped in finest-quality linen, beneath cosy duvets.
There are six bedrooms here, sleeping 16, and each more luxurious than the last. Open the bifold doors from the master bedroom and take your coffee and croissants around your terrace table and chairs.
Every bedroom here is en-suite and arrangements are as flexible as a Romanian gymnast: any combination of superkings or singles that works for you is possible.
What people say
A tipple and a trip up the Tor
Closer to home there's walking with streams, rivers, wildlife, woods and pubs starting straight from the front door. Or a short drive will bring with it the Haynes Motor Museum and Fleet Air Arm. Animal adventures and adrenaline will keep the kids amused at Exmoor Falconry and Animal Park, Seaquarium and Middlemoore Water Park. For grown-up fun, try a tipple or two at the Somerset Cider Brandy Company or a trip up the Tor to St Michael’s Tower.
