A peaceful 17-room hotel where vineyards, a farm-to-fork restaurant, wellness barn and warm service combine in the perfect countryside retreat.
Location
Louma – an abbreviation of its founders’ Louis and Emma’s names – is located near the sleepy seaside village of Charmouth in Dorset. Looking out across rolling hills, vineyards and the Jurassic coastline, the hotel has views to rival Tuscany. Surrounded by countryside and forest for walking, running or horse riding, the hotel has its own Strava routes, plus several public paths to explore. Lyme Regis is a 15-minute drive while Weymouth and Dorset’s landmark Durdle Door are an hour away.
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The vibe
Reminiscent of Soho Farmhouse or The Newt, Louma offers luxury in a farm setting. The 100-acre estate has been fashionably transformed into a 17-bed hotel retreat, with rooms in the main house, converted stables and shepherd's huts. While other farm hotels can feel overly polished, Louma is charmingly rough around the edges. A cattle pen and turkey chicks live below the yoga and Pilates barn, while tractors, machinery and livestock by the main house are constant reminders that this is a working farm.
The interiors are just as charming, with clashing printed furnishings, mood lighting, patterned ottoman coffee tables and leather armchairs creating a homely atmosphere in the public areas – and the low guest capacity gives the illusion of luxuriating in your own countryside pile. With the main house, wellness area and pools (inside and outside), stables, play area and dozens of reading nooks, you can easily go hours without seeing another guest. The hotel’s full-board offering brings everyone together in hushed tones for breakfast, lunch and dinner. While Louma is incredibly kid-friendly, it still has a sophisticated feel for adults. Mealtimes are a mix of families, young and retired couples, groups of friends with children and solo guests.
Service
With no more than 40 guests at one time, the staff get to know everyone – after 24 hours, you’re on a first-name basis. A bespoke itinerary is curated by guest relations ahead of time, which you can tweak over a welcome glass of Louma cuvée on arrival. From the restaurant staff to the spa therapists and stable hands, service is consistently chatty and communal. There’s also a 24-hour WhatsApp service for any requests.
Bed and bath
The 17 rooms at Louma include six in the main house (two of which can be joined for a family), four shepherd's huts, a spacious two-bedroom lodge, two accommodations in the converted stables – complete with private terraces – and four stone barn-style apartments built from original Dorset chert. All have a unique appeal. Rooms in the main house boast freestanding bath tubs and panoramic views; the shepherds huts are cosy with log burners and private gardens; while the stable and barn conversions feature multiple floors and outdoor space with hot tubs. The same design tenets run throughout the rooms – fabric headboards, linen lampshades, marbled bathrooms and plenty of soft furnishings create a home-away-from-home feel. The interiors balance practicalities like dressing tables, generous wardrobes and Smeg kitchen appliances with thoughtful details like a wood burning stove, novels on the bedside tables and a complimentary minibar of gourmet Filberts snacks.
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Food and drink
Louma follows a full-board, farm-to-fork approach, with seasonal menus that showcase its produce. Lunch is an elevated buffet – think lamb tagine and pan-fried cod, caesar salad or truffle gnocchi. Dinner is a refined three-course menu that changes daily on a three-day cycle, reflecting the average stay. Served in the main house’s living room, the candle-lit dinner has a supper club feel; expect starters like cep arancini or crispy quail egg, mains such as whipped ricotta pasta or Carver duck, and farm-fresh desserts like blood peach tarts or caramelised apple donuts. Breakfast includes a hearty mix of hot classics – don’t miss the Louma fry-up with dry-cured bacon, heritage tomatoes, mushrooms and eggs straight from the farm – alongside a continental buffet with pastries, charcuterie, granola and yogurt pots, kids’ cereal boxes and fruit.
Louma’s 33-acre vineyards benefits from its coastal location and chalk and clay soils – a terroir ideal for English sparkling wine, which has been a tradition in the area since Roman times. With conditions similar to the Champagne region in France, Louma grows chardonnay, pinot noir and pinot meunier, producing a crisp cuvée and sparkling rose, and a still chardonnay, rosé and pinot noir. For something punchier come evening, try Louma’s lemon margarita or berry gin fizz.
Facilities
At Louma, you can take part in expert-led wine tastings – with local Dorset cheese pairings – and vineyard tours, or explore the wine cellar on rainy days. Families can join farmers on their morning rounds with Red Ruby Cattle, Poll Dorset lambs or West Country black pigs, or tour the glasshouse, polytunnel, herb gardens and orchard. Mapped woodland and farm trails encourage guests to walk, run or roam with dogs across the grounds.
The alpine-inspired wellness barn, with its timber interiors and vaulted ceilings, features both indoor and outdoor heated pools, a state-of-the-art TechnoGym and cosy shepherd’s huts that host signature and bespoke treatments. The panoramic views from the cow barn studio – where Pilates and yoga classes are held – are reason enough to roll out the mat. The family-run, on-site Sanford Stables offer pony rides for kids and up-to-three-hour hacks for seasoned riders. The 33 rescue horses are beautifully trained and the team are warm with buckets of experience.
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Accessibility
Louma offers one accessible room, and there is step-free access and level bathrooms in both the main and wellness barns.
Pet policy
Dogs are welcome in all accommodations except the main house. It’s £40 for one dog, and £65 for two, including beds, bowls and towels. Pets can roam the 100-acre grounds and woodland trails.
Check-in/Check-out?
Check-in time is from 3pm, check-out is at 11am.
Family friendly?
Louma is geared toward all ages, with farm tours, pony rides, play areas, pools with inflatables, and woodland walks with educational signs. Family rooms and a kids’ menu are also available.
At a glance
Best thing: The variety of activities and peaceful surroundings.
Perfect for: Families and wine-lovers.
Not right for: The younger Soho Farmhouse crowd.
Instagram from: The main barn overlooking the vineyard and Jurassic coastline.
Address: Champernhayes Lane, Bridport DT6 6DF
Phone: +44 (0) 7519 560095
Website: Loumafarmandretreat.co.uk
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