The Escape Lodge (Overnight Escapes) // Review

The Escape Lodge is located on the site of Bodmin Holiday Park, which is situated between the north and southern coasts of Cornwall, England. It’s the first overnight puzzle experience from Overnight Escapes, a company founded by Deb and Gemma Johnston of Dreadlock Escape Rooms. But what exactly is an escape lodge, and did we manage to ‘escape’? Read on to find out!

What is The Escape Lodge?

Nestled in the beautiful countryside just outside of Bodmin, Cornwall, is a small holiday park surrounded by lakes and fields. 99% of the park comprises ordinary bungalows and villas to rent. Hidden among these is a seemingly normal bungalow that has been converted into a puzzler’s dream. I understand why the team decided to call it The Escape Lodge. ‘Escape room’ is still the most recognisable label for a time-limited experience that requires you to solve puzzles to progress. The difference here is that the aim isn’t to escape, but instead to recover $1m worth of stolen jewellery that has been locked away within your accommodation. Instead of 60 minutes, you’ll have until checkout to uncover as many hidden items as you can.

For some, the term Overnight Escapes conjures up nightmarish scenarios where live actors jump out from under your bed, or shutters slam down, and you cannot step foot outside until you solve the puzzles. Experiences like this may exist, but in this case, it couldn’t be further from the truth. The lodge is a cosy holiday home that just happens to contain lots of padlocked boxes and clues hidden in plain sight. You can leave and enter whenever you want, and you can put as much or as little time into puzzle solving as you desire.

Inside The Lodge

The Escape Lodge is nicely decorated and homely. It sleeps up to 6 guests, with three bedrooms available:

• Room 1: A king-size bed with a TV, and an ensuite bathroom (shower, corner bath and toilet)
• Room 2: A double bed with an ensuite bathroom (shower and toilet)
• Room 3: A twin Room (bathroom with bath, overhead shower and toilet down the hall)

A spacious open plan lounge, kitchen and dining space can be found around the corner from the bedrooms. The living room has several cosy sofas, a large TV and sliding doors that lead out onto a paved area with a picnic bench. This is a lovely place to sit and soak in the beautiful views of the surrounding fields.

Overnight Escapes has provided all of the basic amenities you might need: wifi, an iron/steamer, a hairdryer, etc; a full list can be found on their website. The kitchen is stocked with pots, pans, glasses, mugs, etc., and tea/ instant coffee is provided. If you would like to prepare a filter coffee, you’ll need to bring a cafetiere / Aeropress with you.

There is a designated parking space in front of the lodge, which can fit up to two cars. Additional spaces are available outside the Dreadlock Escape Rooms, which are located right next door.

Puzzles

The brainteasers began before we’d even arrived, as to gain access to the lodge, we had to work out the code for the key safe. A puzzle was sent to us the day before, which we all solved separately. Then it was just a case of waiting until we arrived to see if we had the right answer. Thankfully, we did! We also received a video briefing via WhatsApp that explained how the lodge works and set us on our way.

From the moment we stepped through the door, our eyes were darting all over the place. There were cryptic pictures on the walls, locked boxes everywhere and mysterious cubes spread out across the rooms. A locked box on the lounge table seemed to be a clear starting point, so we cracked on with that first. This initial puzzle was so fun and satisfying, and after that, we found it hard to stop ourselves from staying up all night to solve everything! I would definitely recommend pacing yourself, especially if you are there for a few days.

Gameplay is a mix of linear and non-linear. It’s split into several “puzzle paths”, which are broadly split across different physical spaces in the lodge. For example, a locked chest sits on the floor in the kitchen and this houses all you need for one puzzle path. Within each puzzle path, the flow of gameplay tends to be more linear, but you can tackle each path in any order. While you can split up and tackle different routes in sub-teams, it is recommended that you work through them all together for maximum enjoyment. There is no 60-minute limit, remember!

The mix of puzzles was very varied, meaning that there was something for everyone. We found certain puzzles very straightforward, while others required us to think outside the box, or take a step away before the solution came to us. There were some great moments when we were out and about, where a solution for something back at the lodge would suddenly click into place. Generally, nothing was too challenging, so I’d say it is very accessible for players of all experience levels.

If you do need hints, you won’t be able to request these on demand. A character will check in on your progress at several points during your stay, and at these times, you may be able to get some information out of him. These in-character interactions were really fun and helped make the experience feel even more immersive.

We didn’t find anything too physically challenging, but you will need to get out and about to explore the grounds to solve some of the puzzles. Which ones, and where you’ll need to visit, is up to you to discover.

The Grounds

If you fancy a break from puzzling, there are other activities available on site. A swimming pool and gym are included in the cost of the lodge hire, but you do need to book these at reception. There is a nature walk, tennis courts and multiple fishing lakes – with fishing equipment available for hire. We were so busy either puzzling in the lodge or out and about exploring Cornwall, that we didn’t use any of these!

There is also a restaurant/cafe/bar, and a small shop with some essentials (eggs, jam, crisps). We bought a few items from the shop, but didn’t use the restaurant or cafe. We mainly prepared meals in the lodge or ate in other locations around Cornwall.

Helpful Tips

• If you aim to spend all day in the lodge solving puzzles, then two nights may be sufficient. If you want to get out and explore some of Cornwall as well, I’d really recommend opting for three or four nights.
• Bear in mind that some puzzles may require you to explore the grounds outside of the lodge. It is best to do this in daylight, as some clues might be hard to find in the dark.
• Also, as with a normal escape room, you may not have everything you require to solve a certain puzzle when you come across it. So if something doesn’t make sense, it is likely because you are missing a piece of the puzzle.

What else is there to do in the area?

Bodmin Holiday Park is a fantastic base for exploring other parts of Cornwall. We hired bikes from Explore by Bike in Bodmin town (10 mins away) and cycled along the Camel Trail to Wadebridge, and then to Padstow. It’s a beautiful, flat cycling route with only one small section of road cycling. The views were breathtaking, and really varied along the way. Padstow is a small town and fishing port, based on the River Camel estuary, with boutique shops, cafes and restaurants. It also has a beautiful beach, so we went for a bit of a paddle there too.

The next day, we drove 30 minutes to Fowey, where we took a boat trip around the harbour and had some delicious tapas. Again, it is a small seaside town with lots of interesting places to eat and explore. Other nearby attractions include the famous Bodmin Jail and steam railway, the Eden Project and Screech Owl Sanctuary. There are also some escape rooms…

Local Escape Rooms

If the puzzle-stuffed lodge isn’t enough to satiate your puzzling appetite, you’ll be pleased to know there are also five actual escape rooms on site. These are owned by the Escape Lodge creators, and you’ll receive an automatic 15% discount if you book to play them during your stay. The Dreadlock Escape Rooms building can be seen from the lounge, and is literally less than a minute’s walk away. If the standard opening hours clash with your plans, it is worth reaching out to Deb and Gemma, as they may be able to work their magic to accommodate. We played You Plonker! and Witch Way Out!?, which were both fun!

We managed to fit in seven escape rooms during our trip, but didn’t get to visit all of the venues in the area. I’d really recommend Housetrap Escape Rooms, which are a short drive from the holiday park. We played Camelot, a 90-minute King Arthur-themed room that was brilliant. They also have a really unique horror room, Killjoy, that, at the time of writing, has only seen 20 teams escape. With the team split into two different areas, it heavily relies on effective communication and outside-the-box thinking. We were so close to escaping, but didn’t quite make it…

Fear of the Unknown at Enigma Escape Cornwall was the standout room of our trip, and I cannot recommend it highly enough. It was also my 100th room, which the team at Enigma helped commemorate with a beautiful plaque featuring some components from the game.

We didn’t make it to Bolted in St. Austell, but I have heard good things about their rooms, too.

Checking out

The biggest disappointment of the trip was knowing that we’ve now played this lodge, and that there isn’t another one to tackle. We are keeping our fingers firmly crossed that Deb and Gemma can secure another property so that they can start work on The Escape Lodge 2 very soon. There is currently very little availability left for 2026, but 2027 bookings should hopefully open at some point soon!

We had an amazing stay! Nothing beats being surrounded by beautiful countryside for me, and with both coasts so easily accessible, it’s the perfect base to explore Cornwall. If puzzling through a lodge full of creative puzzles sounds like your cup of tea, make sure you check it out. Just remember to get some sleep, because once the puzzles get into your head, it’s hard to put them down.

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