Inside the holiday park with hot-tubs and warm welcomes for four-legged friends

THEY say every dog has its day but for ours she had an entire week.

My partner Leona and I decided to head for a break at the pet-friendly Appletree Country Park near Boston, Lincolnshire.

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With Isla the Chiweenie (a Chihuahua and Dachshund cross, now let me hear you say awww) in tow we set off from Glasgow.

It was a simple drive which took little more than five hours including a halfway pitstop at Penrith.

As we arrived we noticed how genuinely pristine the place was, as if it was brand new. And the reason, it turns out, is that it actually was.

It was formerly the popular Boston West but has been given a £3.5million refurb by new owners, Away Resorts.

The result was a collection of ultra modern luxury lodges with state-of- the-art facilities.

We were greeted by lovely welcome package including prosecco and biscuits. Yum.

Our lovely digs could have homed eight people easily, with two huge couches potentially making it ten.

The fully decked-out kitchen included a dishwasher, which allowed for even more chill-out time.

A washer/drier also meant we wouldn’t be taking a bundle of dirty clothes home with us.

The two double bedrooms included huge TVs and an ensuite each. There were also two bedrooms with a pair of single beds, which would be ideal for kids.

With a large dining table, huge telly and giant couches it was perfect to literally lounge around in.

Wifi and bluetooth ceiling speakers allow for your very own resident DJ sessions.

But the best feature came outside on the balcony, or in the balcony I should say. A solid inbuilt plastic hot tub! Ready to use and checked twice a day by staff — this was heaven.

There was no waiting for it to heat up or need to clean it like the popular Lay-Z-Spas at home. This one was good to go whenever you fancied it. So good in fact that I figured out I spent around 12 hours in it over the week.

It was positioned in a way that, despite being outside, you still had privacy. When I wasn’t turning myself into a wrinkly prune, there was plenty to keep us entertained outside.

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Several woodland walks were great to take Isla out on and give us a proper look at our surroundings. Thick trees, marshes and singing birds made it an idyllic spot.

Activity-wise there’s a nine hole golf course and driving range for all the budding Tiger Woods out there.

But the park is not just for golfers — and adults and children alike can enjoy ceramic painting, VR experience sessions, bird box decorating, tie-dye T-shirt making and grasshead monster making in the park’s marquee.

GO:APPLETREE COUNTRY PARK

For kids there’s a splash zone which shoots out water — perfect during the summer. Mini archery, foot golf (with a football) and disc golf (with frisbee) sessions are also on offer and there’s a bike hire shack if you want to explore the beautiful Lincolnshire countryside.

There’s also an amazing adventure playground for the kids and on Tuesdays and Fridays you can grab a blanket, popcorn and some hot chocolate and settle down to watch a film in the outdoor cinema.

The Tipsy Eagle Lounge Bar, an onsite bar with gigantic TV, is ideal for sports fans and Six West Restaurant and Bar is perfect for lunch and dinner.

Outside the resort, you are only 30 minutes from the historic town of Boston.

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The old market square and commanding St Botolph’s Church — known as the Boston Stump — made it well worth a visit. And there’s plenty of supermarkets to keep you stocked up.

We also took an hour drive to the holiday town of Skegness. Packed with fish and chip shops, amusement arcades and souvenir shops, it’s the quintessential English seaside town.

A long sandy beach complete with Pleasure Beach fairground, pier and donkey rides make it a popular staycation visit.

Back to our lovely lodge at Appletree we sat on our balcony to enjoy dinner on the outdoor table.

Meanwhile Isla snored her head off inside. It really is a dog’s life.

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