A wintery stay at The Firs: hot tubs, the sauna, and Suffolk at its cosiest

Winter might be the best time of year to stay at The Firs — a Suffolk countryside retreat that's at its cosiest exactly when the weather turns. There's a particular magic to this place in the cold months: woodsmoke in the air, frost on the gardens, and the contrast between the chill outside and the warmth waiting inside every lodge.

Hot tubs hit different in winter. Our hot tubs are wood-fired, and there's nothing quite like sinking into one when it's cold enough to see your breath — steam rising off the water, the gardens silvered with frost, the sky clear and full of stars. The colder it is outside, the better the soak feels. Guests who first visit in summer often come back in winter just for this.

Hire the sauna. Add the sauna to a winter stay and you've got the perfect cold-weather ritual: warm through properly, then step out into the crisp air, then warm again. Pair it with the plunge bucket if you're brave, or simply move between the sauna and your hot tub. It's the kind of slow, restorative bathing that winter was made for, and it's the heart of a cosy Suffolk stay.

Indoors, everything is built for the season. Each lodge has its own wood-burning stove, so evenings are spent in front of a real fire with the curtains drawn against the dark. The lodges are snug, beautifully styled, and made for hibernating — books, blankets, something slow-cooking, nowhere you need to be.

The coast in winter is wonderful too. Don't write off Southwold and Aldeburgh in the cold — a bracing beach walk followed by a warming lunch is one of the great Suffolk pleasures. In Aldeburgh, The Lighthouse is cosy and consistently excellent, and Aldeburgh Fish and Chips eaten with cold fingers on the seafront is its own kind of joy. Closer to home, The Fox & Goose at Fressingfield is a fire-warmed former Guildhall doing some of the best food in the area, and the Low House in Laxfield has an open fire and beer straight from the cask.

For a winter escape, this is one of those Suffolk hideaways that comes into its own when the temperature drops. Come for the cold; stay for the warmth.

Planning a cosy winter retreat? Check availability and book direct.