Glamping fun for adults and a fairy-tale world for kids with adventure on the doorstep
Tucked away in the trees of the New Forest, Silvertree House offers a magical getaway with luxe touches like a hot tub and pizza oven.
Perfect for families, it’s set in Shorefield holiday park, packed with activities and close to coast and forest adventures.
The kids will love this fairy-tale find says Fabulous Magazine art director Laura Cunningham.
THE PAD
Nestled among the trees, with three ensuite bedrooms sleeping six – including a master with a four-poster bed and freestanding bathtub – the turreted Silvertree House looks like it’s straight out of a fairy tale.
Luxe touches include smart TVs and a Nespresso machine, plus a hot tub and pizza oven on the deck outside.
Families will love its spot on Shorefield holiday park, with slime-making, pottery-painting, and sand-art classes on tap, as well as an indoor pool with sea scooter and aqua paddler sessions.
Kids will also adore the arcade and mini disco. Grab tasty burgers, £13, and pizzas, £13.50, from The Beachcomber, where the robot waiter (yes, really!) will keep little ones entertained during dinner.
EXPLORE
Both coast and forest are close by. Hop on a small ferry boat, £5.50 for adults, £4 for kids, to check out nearby historic Hurst Castle – an artillery fortress built by Henry VIII – plus sea birds including oystercatchers.
The fortress itself is set to reopen next year (Hurstcastle.co.uk). Paultons Park, a 40-minute drive away, offers so much more than just Peppa Pig World, and is a must-visit for thrills aplenty, with over 70 rides to try.
Be sure to swing by the lemurs and penguins, too. Entry costs from £27 per person over 1m tall (Paultonspark.co.uk).
Meanwhile, Moors Valley, half an hour away, is a haven for outdoor escapades, with a huge adventure playground, miniature steam train and Gruffalo trail (Moors-valley.co.uk).
Kids as young as one can leap around Go Ape’s Nets Adventure, a fun trampoline park in the forest canopy complete with bouncy balls and tunnel slides. Entry costs £20 a person (Goape.co.uk).
REFUEL
You’re just seven minutes’ drive from Milford on Sea. Hit The Lighthouse on the seafront for treats like juicy 8oz fillet steak, £33.50, and seafood and chorizo paella with charred lemon, £19.
Kids will enjoy the cheesy linguine, £7.50, and showstopper candyfloss in a mug pudding, £3.50 (Thelighthousemilford.co.uk).
Grab a local-ingredients-packed brekkie overlooking the village green at Melleford.
The New Forest mushrooms look like flowers before being whipped into a delicious feast on toast, £12 (Melleford.com).
Later, tuck into melt-in-your-mouth Hampshire lamb shoulder with dauphinoise potatoes, greens and rosemary jus, £26, in a pretty riverside setting at The Old Mill near Lymington (Theoldmillnewforest.co.uk).
BOOK IT
Three-night stays in a treehouse at Shorefield Country Park cost from £89 per person per night, based on six people sharing (Shorefield.co.uk).