After booking a last-minute week off work, the author and her miniature Dachshund, Dora, travelled to the village of Balsham in rural Cambridgeshire for a 48-hour mini break.
She chose HappenOak Treehouse because it was dog-friendly, remote, not a hotel and featured an outdoor roll-top bath, aiming for a digital detox after ten hours of daily screen time.
Arriving on a quiet Wednesday afternoon, the pair walked two and a half minutes through signposted woodland to reach the treehouse.
Inside, they found a kitchen stocked with Le Creuset items, a large loaf and homemade banana bread. The author abandoned her iPhone for a sunset stroll, noting the tractor in the fields and birds chirping.
Evening activities included yoga on the decking, a hot bubble bath under fairy lights, and a six-minute Finnish-style sauna, followed by relaxing in a giant swing chair.
Sleep came beneath two skylights with falling leaves, and breakfast the next morning offered homemade muesli, coffee, milk, olive oil, free-range eggs and seasoning, with a farm shop a few miles away for extras.
A 12-km round-trip hike led to the gastropub The Black Bull for a pint and water, then a stop at the local shop for pasta and cheese for dinner.
Despite a slightly restless second night due to flat pillows, the stay was described as perfect for anyone needing to get away, with the author even considering moving off-grid.
GO: Balsham, Cambs
STAYING THERE: The two-person HappenOak Treehouse costs £310 a night, with a minimum two-night stay, taken between Sunday and Thursday from November to March.
Single nights (when available) cost £375.
Booking three nights or more adds a ten percent discount automatically. See coolstays.com.
