Wilderness Reserve - Saxmundham

Jane W.

Stump is a fairytale cottage in beautiful countryside. The house was well equipped and very comfortable, perfect for a relaxing break. There was a walking trail more or less round the whole estate which was very quiet in the autumn. The Reserve staff were all helpful and friendly. It is expensive but definitely worth a visit.

Bruce B.

I can’t comment personally on the rooms as I didn’t stay but 22 of my colleagues did and they were very complimentary so the 5* is theirs.

We held a corporate event in Chapel Barn and I was thoroughly impressed with the service and attention to detail. Nothing was too much trouble and they did everything they could to make the event run smoothly.

We’d definitely return.

Bill H.

I had the pleasure of spending the weekend here with some friends. It is a stunning location and the properties are out of this world!

We had some interaction with the Rangers who were all brilliant individuals and clearly really care about the role that they play at this venue.

Axe throwing and laser clay was really enjoyable, as was the scavenger hunt. Sibton hall is lovely and we had a fabulous celebration meal there for about 40 of us with a murder mystery theme which was great fun.

The first night was spent in the tepee with a roaring fire and lots to drink. The food was great, as was the band.

It is a really great venue and very different to anywhere I have been before......Well done! 🙂

Astrid J.

Spent a weekend at the Wilderness Reserve after many months of anticipation. The resort was recommended to us by friends so we were very much looking forward to the visit. We had to move our booking once due to illness so it had been a long time coming. What struck us during the initial booking and subsequent re-schedule was the fact that we were contacted with irritated regularity by different event managers asking to upsell their add on events. I’d already declined them yet had a continuous flow of mails arrive in my inbox. Had my preference just been noted in a central booking system, this could have been avoided.|When we got close to our re-scheduled stay, we were told that the cottage we were supposed to be staying in was not ready yet. We were relocated to another lovely cottage so were happy with the pivot. However, the marketing mails kept coming again.|The only one thing we were interested in was making use of the e-cars they had on offer. We were asked to sign a loan form, provide all manner of info, all of which required a fair amount of logistics (printing documents off, scanning drivers licences etc). It was all worth it though as we were confirmed use of one of the BMW’s for the duration of the weekend. 24 hrs later, we were told that unfortunately the car would not be available after all!|This was very disappointing and could have been avoided had back office coordination been better. |As part of the last minute relocation to another house, we were offered a complimentary breakfast hamper, which we had to remind them off in writing before our visit as it was not mentioned in the pre-check in summary document. |On the day, the “hamper” was a loveless selection of individual items lined up on the kitchen counter. Nothing like what was depicted on the website (Whicker basket). |It felt very low effort and not in keeping with the exclusive and luxury experience the resort is pushing for on their socials.|We also confirmed in writing and twice in person on checking in, that we preferred not to make use of the daily housekeeping service. We were happy to just be left alone and clean up after ourselves in favour of some un disturbed time to relax.|This was confirmed (in person) just to clearly not have been passed on as appropriate, as 12 hrs later, the cleaning crew showed up just as we were about to use the jacuzzi.|We also felt like there was a distinct lack of communication and detailed overview of what maintenance was going to be happening during our stay. Just as we were having an afternoon nap on the decking area, a gentleman walked onto our patio to check the jacuzzi. This took us very much by surprise. Had we known about this being a possibility, we’d not have been so spooked by someone in our private space. A simple text message/ call prior to his visit, would have been nice. Or an advance notice when we were shown around the cottage!|In summary, the resort is unique and offers a great escape to the country side, but we felt let down and disappointed by the lack of follow up on our requests and disconnect behind the scenes. It felt lacking in real care for individual travellers. We got the distinct feeling that this place focuses on weddings and corporate bookings and that individual stays were not afforded the care and attention the price tag would have merited.

Lauren S.

We stayed at this resort in August 2024. As the pictures show it is remote and beautiful location and stunning scenery. We stayed in Doxie which is beautiful, however it was very dirty and not cleaned properly, a million miles away from a 5* resort standard and the prices charged. I appreciate it is Wilderness Reserve however I have stayed in similar places abroad that do not compromise on standards. The check in was basic and left to our own devices, just kind of shown in and left to it - we were given a number to call in emergency but told not to really use it after 6pm

vwcoffeeshack

In celebrating the 35th wedding anniversary of very special & dear friends we were invited to join them on this momentous occasion. The Wilderness Reserve was ours to enjoy over a five day period, it was everything wonderful you could imagine, and more. The incredibly hard working staff, each and every one of them, were absolutely amazing! (Johnathon couldn’t do enough for us) Professional, polite, charming and friendly with a desire to make our visit, and indeed the whole occasion, as memorable and as perfect as possible. And it was! Well done Team Wilderness Reserve, you were all outstanding and we shall never forget having visited, thank you.

Morgan K.

A mixed review.
The setting was lovely, really rural if that is the thing you are looking for. And the accommodation was nice. Looked like it needed a good clean in places but all-in-all can’t complain. The flies were a problem but something that comes with the location. The food was good, as was the treatments and activities.
The customer service is TERRIBLE. You pay a lot of money to stay here and it’s really not been what I expected. 1) doesn’t feel personalised nor luxury; 2) they consistently get things wrong with your booking, even for things you have paid for; 3) was our honeymoon, we didn’t even get a congratulations; 4) owe me a refund for something they double charged me for and still haven’t received; 5) the office are incapable of replying to emails.
You also would expect a few more toiletries, all you get is a small bottle of shampoo, conditioner, body wash, and that’s it. Maybe even some bits and pieces in the fridge would have been nice. A very stark comparison when comparing to the likes of Soho Farmhouse (SO much better, please spend your money on going here instead).
Our stay wasn’t awful but given the very poor service from the staff, and the non-luxury feel (particularly considering to price). Safe to say we will not be returning, nor would we recommend. P.s, wilderness, would really like my £130 refund when you can take a second to reply to one of my emails.

Casey M.

WOW! Absolutely stunning, beautiful, peaceful, relaxing, tranquil, and pure luxury! We stayed at Poachers and loved all 7 glorious days! The most relaxing break we have had in years. We are already looking forward to next year as we have been spoilt! Just book it and see for yourself. Stunning scenery and the sunsets are spectacular! JLC Stevenage