Ready to hit the mute button on reality? Deep in the Pembrokeshire countryside lies a cosmic retreat that feels almost light years away from Earth.
The awe-inspiring Spodnic UFO is one of three standout stays at Melin Mabes, a four-acre glamping site owned and ran by Martin Johnson and his wife, CarolAnne.
‘It looks like it’s just landed from outer space and aliens could come out,’ Martin notes as he showcases his brainchild during the first episode of Channel ‘s World’s Most Secret Hotels.
‘It’s such a secret location that people wouldn’t know is here. A lot of the time, parents won’t tell their children where they’re staying, then when they arrive, they see a UFO and they’re off, running around!’
Martin and CarolAnne purchased the ‘overgrown plot’ in rural Wales, centered around an original 17th-century mill, 12 years ago.
It has since been transformed into a glamping retreat with three unique stays in a UFO, real-life treehouse, and an old gypsy caravan.
But the spacecraft-themed pod is especially captivating as it’s been designed to look as though it has landed straight from out of space – with three tripod legs, a drop-down door, NASA-designed interiors and colour-changing lights.
In order to make the UFO look more lifelike, Martin turned the pod’s hinged door into a drop-down entry point using a simple wheelchair lift.
Set in the heart of Pembrokeshire is an unlikely retreat: Melin Mabes, home to a UFO-themed accommodation, as well as a real-life treehouse and traditional gypsy caravan let
Inside the Spodnic UFO, guests will find foil-lined walls, hazard tape, alien pillows and galactic-themed furniture
Guests have the opportunity to step inside a life-sized TARDIS phone box when nature calls
Demonstrating how the entrance works, he says: ‘Originally, the door was a standard hinge door that opened to one side. This is a wheelchair access lift. We bolted it to the door and added some springs to it to give it that extra bit of power – it took a lot of work.’
For an added dose of intergalactic magic, the accommodation has been fitted with a smoke machine that goes off each time the door is opened, along with colour-changing lights underneath and around it.
Inside, the four-bedroom holiday let boasts an equally fascinating interior, where no detail has been overlooked.
The walls are fitted with multiple layers of insulation foil originally designed by NASA, while decor consists of blow-up alien dolls, alien-themed cushions, spacesuits, astronaut helmets, black and yellow hazard tape, and cages of ‘exposed’ wiring.
Martin said: ‘The insulation is from the space industry. Its silver foil-based insulation is built in several layers, and then that reflects the heat back in.’
A steel staircase in the centre of the pod leads up to a sky-view dome equipped with a telescope, giving guests the perfect space to stargaze on clear nights.
Outside the UFO is a kitchenette area with a hob, oven, fridge, sink and dining area, a sprawling private garden, and a large functioning hot tub area decorated with moon posters and twinkling fairy lights.
As for the bathroom, it’s located a short walk away inside a life-sized TARDIS phone box, made popular in the hit BBC series Doctor Who.
At night, colour-changing lights and a smoke machine adds to the UFO’s mystique
A separate outdoor kitchenette space boasts a cooker, fridge, table, chairs and sink, as well as pots, pans and crockery
Martin explains: ‘I’m a big Doctor Who fan, so I thought we’d build a TARDIS. Everyone knows it’s bigger on the inside – unfortunately physics doesn’t work that way.’
Inside the oversized space-age phone box is a shower, a blue-lidded toilet, checkered flooring, a mirror, and a basin complete with a mini Tardis handwash dispenser.
Martin, a lifelong fan of UFOs and all things Sci-Fi, used futuristic buildings from the 1960s as inspiration for the structure, which was snapped up from an auction site.
Following its purchase, the pod – originally used to hide electrical generators on site at the 2012 London Olympics – was broken down into six sections and flat packed onto a lorry from the capital to the Welsh countryside.
Martin adds: ‘There are four wall sections and two roof sections, and each of the wall sections weighs approximately a tonne, so we had to have a steel base set up so that [the structure] was level and won’t sink into our marshy ground.’
The structure itself is made from fibre-glass and features an acrylic dome for a ‘classic saucer-dome look’, as well as eight acrylic domes around the circumference to allow for more natural light inside.
The owner continues: ‘Then we put tripod legs on it to make it look like that UFO from War of the Worlds.’
Across the site from the UFO are two other quirky stays; including a traditional gypsy caravan that’s been transformed into a cosy accommodation that sleeps two people, with a raised double bed and a wood burning stove below.
The site also features a large functional hot tub, complete with moon murals and twinkling fairy lights
Nestled in the trees is a real treehouse equipped with a ladder and a slide that carries guests to the ground, along with a double bed, two singles, underfloor heating, and a fire to keep its inhabitants toasty.
While local dining options are plentiful, guests can opt for pre-ordered artisanal meat and cheese hampers delivered right to their accommodation.
Guests may also bring dogs for an additional £10 cleaning fee per stay.
Melin Mabes is just one of five rare and remote stays featured in the upcoming episode of World’s Most Secret Hotels.
Other properties include Jirira Mountain Lodge, which sits at the edge of the world’s largest salt in Bolivia, and the historic Canfranc Station Hotel in Spain.
Narrated by Julie Walters, the six-part series ventures across all six continents to shine a spotlight on some of the most unusual and breathtaking escapes, along with the teams that keep them running and the guests living their wildest dreams.
World’s Most Secret Hotels starts on Channel 4, 18th April, 8pm.
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