I don’t want to make a habit of reviewing the same places over and over again, but I’m making an exception in the case of Paradise Lake Lodges…

Since our last visit in 2017 which you can read here, there’s been a change in management and some interesting developments are on the horizon.

On this occasion we stayed in Woodland View 1, a larger 6-berth lodge with hot tub, tucked down in a secluded corner of the lodge lake.  There was ample space for Sue and me, my brother and sister in law and my mother.

Now, there’s been a lot of comments left on tripadvisor and other sites regarding the previous owners.  In fairness, we met them during our original stay, and we didn’t have any issue with them, but clearly a lot of people seemed to be upset with their attitude.

Nothing could be further from the truth on our arrival last weekend – with a new bright and welcoming log cabin reception instead of the dingy little office we had to go to last time, the new team were friendly, welcoming and professional.  We completed the check in process in a matter of minutes and were escorted to the lodge where we had a quick demonstration of the hot tub controls.

I must admit the previous visit lacked a little bit of the welcome and concentrated more on whether you were abiding by the fishing rules, so this personal touch was nice to see.

Similarly on check-out we had another pleasant exchange and we certainly would recommend a visit.

We noticed that some of the furniture in the lodge was new (like the leather sofas), and quite possibly some of the fixture and fittings (e,g, bathroom), and while on our first visit only two of the lodges had hot tubs, we could already see them springing up around the other lodges.

A new cluster of lodges is planned for one of the woodland areas, and we spoke to the new team about their ideas for upgrading the large house on site.

Podland continues to provide good quality accommodation at very reasonable prices around its own smaller lake.

And the fishing?  We managed to catch a reasonable selection of Roach, Rudd, Bream and possibly even a Dace, but unfortunately on this occasion there were no big carp to photograph, although we had one or two cheeky encounters which left us wanting a return visit next year!

Verdict:  A firm favourite, recommended for its proximity to York and local attractions, while maintaining a quiet and peaceful environment and crystal clear lakes for fishing enthusiasts.

Rob and Sue’s World Traveller revisited Paradise Lake Lodges  in September 2019.