Luxury lodges and lions ready to welcome big cat lovers to West Midlands Safari Park

The park has been making the final preparations to get its new set of Lion Lodges ready for the public, following on from the success of similar lodges at the cheetah, red panda, elephant, rhino and giraffe areas.

It will bring the total of luxury lodges on the site of the safari park up to 24 and allow those who love lions to be right up and close to the big cats of the park, with just a set of windows dividing those staying in the lodges from the pride.

There will be six lodges within the lion area, which open on Saturday, including one with disability access available, and the charge of £790 for two guests - with extra charges for a further four - brings the exclusive use of the Lion Lodge, as well as two days of access to the attractions at the safari park, including the Adventure Theme Park.

Meals will be provided, with full details of how to cook each meal on the TV screen, and a covered outside decking area for people to eat their meals on while overlooking the lions, including the bachelor group of lions called Havoc, Hodge, Harabi and Hercules.

Project Manager Neil James has been one of the forces behind the creation and design of lodges, which include two bedrooms with king-sized beds and twin single bunk beds, as well as a full bathroom, comfortable sitting room and a welcome basket of snacks, as well as songs from Disney on the record player.

He said the vision was to create a real spirit of African grasslands and said he felt they had achieved it.

He said: "We wanted the lodges to feel like they were part of the landscape and like they've always been there, so the plants and trees we've selected have been paramount to the design and we've tried to pick on an aesthetic which was quite raw and ragged.

"Internally, we've tried to get the external architecture feeling like you're really sort of nestled in your own national park and it's definitely the sort of place I would stay, so I think these one-off experiences are the way forward and what people are looking for.

"We've really tried to encapsulate the spirit of Africa in this and there aren't many places where you can be literally nose to nose with an African Lion with just a piece of glass separating you, plus you sometimes wonder if you are staring at them or they're staring at you."

In addition to the new lodges is a special walking area called Lion Ridge, which sees a number of windows set up next to the lion enclosure, providing customers with the change to walk up to and gaze inside the enclosure and sneak a peek at the lions.

Managing director Chris Kelly said that developments like the lodges, which are sold out until the autumn, and the new viewing area were vital to the future of the park.

He said: "When I came here four years ago, it was ready for development as we had a stabilised number of people coming to visit each year, so we wanted to grow, but also improve the enclosures and look at the infrastructure and energy conservation.

"We've managed that with the lodges, making them completely user-friendly and ready for the future without compromising the idea of keeping it as natural as it can for the animals, and this has helped to make it more immersive for the customers.

"It's all about being immersive, and the safari itself is great as while you can't feed the lions, they are there 24 hours a day and you can see them as you're lying in bed or eating your breakfast and the feedback has been phenomenal from people."

Each lodge costs £790 per night, based on two guests, with £175 per additional adult per night, £125 per child between three and 15-years-old and £20 per child aged three or under.

To find out more and to book a stay, go to safari-lodges.co.uk/lion-lodge