Everybody deserves a birthday treat. But keep your jewellery and designer bags. I’ll take a hotel stay, thanks. Make it a mini-break, make it somewhere luxurious but cool, make it glam but still chill. How about a staycation at Soho Farmhouse? A cheeky overnight in a private studio cabin? Don’t mind if I do. No need to wrap it up – I’ll take you on a tour…
So, where are we staying?
Soho Farmhouse is a luxury out-of-town retreat for club members escaping the city, local creatives and a very, very tiny group of others lucky enough to snag a booking. Set in 100 acres of grounds in the Oxfordshire countryside, yes, it really was originally a working farm. The site does retain some elements of farm life – they have livestock, keep horses, grow produce in their gardens and greenhouses – but it is definitely farming more in the aesthetic rather than commercial sense. Like a way posher Pontins, the resort boasts a ton of activities and amenities to occupy its guests – numerous bars and restaurants, pools, a spa, a cinema, a boating lake, clay pigeon shooting, crazy golf (yes, really)…and the rest. But l’m not here to talk about any of that: let’s talk accommodation. On-site you’ll find: 15 luxury bell tents for the glampers (seasonal), 40 cosy ‘piglet’ rooms for two, 10 rooms opening onto the walled gardens, a four bedroom cottage and a seven bedroom farmhouse for the best house parties EVER and 40 cabins – from studio to 3 bedroom – dotted all around the grounds. No pre-fab chalets at this hipster holiday camp.
Lucky me, I got to spend the night in a studio cabin.
Soho Farmhouse cabin: love at first sight
One of the signature vintage milk floats chauffeured us from the club reception, past the stable yard and paddock and up to our waterside cabin, number 25. The first glimpse- gorgeous. All rustic chic, stripped and weathered boards, Cape Cod meets the Cotswolds. All the little details on-site- the stable doors of the farm shop & deli, the lakeside food trucks, the milk floats, the painted trim around the doors to our cabin terrace…even the pair of Foffa bikes parked out front are the same shade of minty green/eau de nil. High-five for co-ordination.
Honey, I’m home…
Open the door with an old-school key attached to a giant horseshoe (positives: you won’t lose it, negatives: it won’t fit in your mini-clutch) into a vestibule dressed with tools and artefacts – a ball of string, scissors, a feather duster, animal head…details.
Soho Farmhouse cabin kitchen
Directly facing the door is a kitchenette with built-in dark wood cabinetry with metal grid inserts. It’s pretty full service with a butlers sink, mini oven, kettle, Nespresso machine, crockery, cutlery and an ice machine. The ‘mini’ bar is extensive: a cupboard with half-bottle spirits (e.g Silver Patrón, Cotswolds Gin, Johnny Walker Black Label), wine, glasses, bar tools and my favourite vermouth atomiser. The fridge has water, beers, soft drinks as well as pre-mixed negronis, martinis and old fashioneds; the drawers are full of snacks. All the mini bar contents are chargeable, but the lovely folks at Farmhouse have stocked us up with freebies too: tea bags, coffee pods, delicious freshly baked bread and cookies, homemade granola, farm-fresh butter, cheese and a bottle of milk. They’ll also bring complimentary waters at turn-down.
Main studio room
Into the main studio, you get a beachy driftwood wardrobe with chicken wire panels. Lots of hanging and storage space as well as access to handy bits like slippers, hairdryer, dry cleaning bag etc. To the left of the bathroom door, a generously sized dressing table, mirror and comfy chair.
Emperor size bed? Don’t mind if I do. Especially piled up with goose down pillows and duvets, coordinating cushions and a wool/cashmere throw. On either side, dark wood chests of drawers, each topped with a lamp.
At the foot of the bed? A cosy velvet sofa angled so you can take in the view to the terrace – or the flatscreen TV – and be close enough to toast your feet in front of the feature wood burner.
We lazily chilled here all afternoon, drinking bubbles (it was my birthday…) and listening to tunes as the sun streamed through the terrace doors. Bliss.
Quick side note on room tech: there is a big free-standing flatscreen TV which we did not even touch. Based on stays at other SH properties, I would guess there were the usual hotel channels, complimentary new release films and a way to cast Netflix etc. from your device to the screen. You also get 2 radios – a vintage Roberts by the bedside with access to hundreds of digital channels and a Marshall on the dresser. We connected via Bluetooth and streamed 80s and 90s r&b (the BEST eras) playlists on Spotify. The ice machine wasn’t working, but they milk-floated us up a bucket of ice so we didn’t have to drink warm bubbles and, not really tech, but the driver (another milk float) who dropped us off after dinner came in to light our wood burner to save me from burning the whole place down.
A quick tour of the powder room
As a big fan of bathrooms, I’m usually pretty critical – this one met my high standards. Generous walk- in shower with a giant rainfall head and all the full-sized Cowshed products you could ever want to try. A huge vanity area filled with complimentary products to replace all the bits you no doubt left at home, big fluffy robes to chill in while you pamper, The loo had its own cubicle, hidden behind a sliding door.
#divawithabathtub does a Soho Farmhouse cabin
But…no bath? Of course there’s a bath. Just not where you’d expect. Fling open the double doors and step out into the waterside terrace. In front of you a small table and chairs, a cute spot for breakfast or a sunset glass of wine. To the right, a huge freestanding tin bath. It’s in its own little cubicle to protect you from the elements – and a curtain to protect you for prying eyes (my morning soak coincided with early birds whizzing around on their bikes. They were on the other side of the water, so probably couldn’t see me? Better to be safe than to naked photo-bomb someone’s insta stories…). The water was deliciously warm and you get a little shelf to rest your choice of bubble bath – and bubbles in a glass. If you can’t drink champagne in your al fresco bathtub, when the hell can you?
The terrace wraps around to the left where you’ll find a loungier seating area – a couple of cushioned chairs and a low table, perfect for morning coffee (that’s what we did).
We didn’t get the cow print wellies I’d heard we’d get – no worries, we had great weather and didn’t need them. We were missing some amenities – no hair straighteners, for example – and all high-touch paperwork like room info and magazines had been removed. Casualties of Covid? Probably.
Just call for cabin cocktails
We had dinner booked for 9pm in the Main Barn, so ordered the ‘cocktail van’ to stop by at 8 to prepare our pre-game. Yes, they actually drive a fully stocked bar in a van up to your door, complete with barman and stools. We hung out by the van as the amazingly intuitive Mikey blended up a Picante, a Pineapple Sour and a couple of shots of coffee Patrón (again, it was my birthday), before heading back inside to boozily finish getting ready.
You can also order a van with a chef to make you breakfast in the morning, but we were too late to grab a slot (cocktail and breakfast vans are charged at room service rates).
Final word on the Soho Farmhouse Cabin
I had a bit of a moment at check-out. I handed over the key to the lady behind the desk at club reception. She tried to take it, I wouldn’t let go, it was kind of awkward…really didn’t want to say goodbye to that cabin. The mattress, the bedding was like sleeping on a cloud – my friend was even googling the pillows, ffs. I am ruined forever…well, until I get my passport renewed and we can travel internationally without quarantine
The cost, however, was kind of offensive and, one of my big takeaways (not the cabin itself, unfortunately) is that to get the best out of the experience, you really need to stay for two nights. There is just too much to do. I wanted to go to the gym, but because of Covid measures, the showers were shut, meaning I’d have to go on day one – when I just wanted to chill in the cabin – or on the morning of day two, so I’d have time to shower before check out (rather than spend the day marinading in my own sweat). Well, no way I was missing out on a lie-in. I even had to have my al fresco bath in the morning to have enough time to relax and ride bikes, schedule a visit from the cocktail van and fit in all the eating I wanted to do.
Now I have had the privilege of a cabin experience, if I ever have the chance to return I’d (very reluctantly) downgrade to a Piglet for two nights to allow a full day to take advantage of all the activities, maybe catch a film in the screening room, try a different restaurant and truly relax without feeling I have to pack out my day like I’m at work, or something. I would miss the kitchen, though. And the wood burner. And that bath…
Bottom line, if someone offered me the chance of another stay, I’d bite their entire arm off at the shoulder (in the absence of limbs and invites, check out my post on UK staycation alternatives with a Soho Farmhouse vibe).
Soho Farmhouse, Great Tew, Chipping Norton, OX7 4JS. We paid £335 for a studio cabin in September 2020. Prices are seasonal.
