Treehouse Hotel, Kent - review

It’s Friday evening in Kent and I’m nose to snout with a rhino. It’s a whopper, this prehistoric beast, its horn-heavy muzzle mere centimetres from my face, albeit behind a hefty fence. Beyond the paddock, in the distance across the fields are the unmistakable long-necked outlines of giraffe roaming free and beyond them, on the horizon, the shores of Calais. I left London barely an hour ago and here I am, among the Serengeti’s finest.

The only thing that could complete this somewhat surreal picture of safari perfection is a sundowner, which I’m duly offered in the shape of some excellent sparkling Chapel Down rosé from the vineyard in nearby Tenterden.

This is the life, I think, as I contemplate a tray of canapés that’s appeared beside me. My child, meanwhile, has disappeared, whisked off by a ranger to help feed a mob of meerkats. Certainly for the UK, this is not your average safari park experience but then, Port Lympne Reserve has never been your average safari park.

Set in 600 acres of rolling, English land just outside Ashford, Port Lympne (pronounced “Lim”) is one of the UK’s largest animal parks. Here, some 200 creatures roam as if on the African plains, while enclosures are home to over 700 rare and endangered animals, including western lowland gorillas, the largest herd of black rhino in the UK, big cats, small cats, meerkats and more. It’s also home to increasing number of short-breakers thanks to an ever-expanding range of accommodation.

Spread across the park there are eco-pods, safari tents, a rental cottage and hotel rooms set in a redbrick mansion built in the early 20th century by British architect Herbert Baker for politician-socialite, Sir Phillip Sassoon. The house’s OTT opulence — all tented ceilings, acid-coloured animal frescos and labyrinthine formal gardens — has seen everything from parties hosted by Churchill to debates preceding the signing of the Treaty of Versailles.

Then there’s the latest opening: 10 smartly appointed treehouses that come with state-of-the-art kitchens, wrap-around balconies and your own golf buggy. So far, so indulgent, but the clincher for wildlife lovers is that proceeds from accommodation go towards international animal conservation projects run by Port Lympne’s owner, the Aspinall Foundation.

The treehouses look a bit smarter than that, however. Set on a bank overlooking the park and the Channel beyond, this new opening is more a terrace of wooden cabins set in the treeline rather than classic tree-top houses. But, accessed via a set of steeply raked wooden steps and each fronted by a generous wooden deck, they look the part.

We set out in an open-sided safari truck into the Africa Experience — the fields where the big game are — through a security gate worthy of Jurassic Park. Giraffe man Gareth Chamberlain could not be more graciously British, however: “Guys, guys, over here,” he calls, beckoning the towering beasts as if they were friends. It works a treat and once the giraffes have eaten from the truck-side buckets, we get to stroke their long necks and flaring noses.

A thundering herd of eland, wildebeest and a lone zebra hoof around in the distance as the sun sets over the waterholes, and I have to remind myself, again, that I’m in Kent.

We’re up and at ’em the next morning via a quick breakfast in the tented rhino-view clubhouse, to feed some gorillas. These magnificent and frankly funky-smelling primates reduce most of the kids to silence. The meditative silence is broken as my daughter spots something. “Mummy look it’s a BUNNY!” City kids, it seems, are easily pleased.

Treehouse Hotel at Port Lympne Reserve, Aldington Road, CT21 4PD (01303 802 649; ). Treehouses sleeping four cost from £300 a night (two night minimum stay at weekends), including access to Port Lympne Reserve and nearby Howletts Reserve, safari trips and animal talks.