Famous faces such as Alison Hammond, Kelly Brook and Amanda Holden have all stayed at Port Lympne’s Lion Lodge.

Reporter Millie Bowles was invited to follow in the footsteps of the celebrities - and had a wild time…

As I made my way to my accommodation at Port Lympne, built on hills which overlook Hythe, Romney Marsh and Folkestone, there was a distant sound - a mixture of a howl and a grumble.

“Is that the lions?”I asked the nice man who had greeted my friend and I earlier, and was driving us in a golf buggy to our pad for the night, trundling past the animal quarters, where tigers also lurked.

“Yes, they make some strange noises at night,” he replied.

Large gates separate day visitors from the lodges and brigade of celebrities who stay here, but no one was going to be asking me for selfies.

As we walked through the courtyard, I saw the outdoor Swedish bath to my left and, more alarmingly, giant paw marks left on the screen which separates the guests and the big cats.

To be fair to them, it must be like watching a lasagne bubble in the oven and not being able to eat it.

With the depressing January darkness already on us, and the temperature close to freezing, I decided to forgo the outdoor wash.

Inside, there is a fireplace below a flat-screen TV, a kitchenette, a comfy suede sofa and of course, huge windows showing off the animals’ adjacent home.

The space is decorated with exposed wood, adding to the safari look, and large vintage posters. But best of all there’s a bottle of Gusbourne fizz waiting for us on ice.

The master bedroom overlooks the lions’ den, which is dotted with small trees and shrubbery, with huge logs for the duo to climb on and toys to play with.

There are also two single beds in the loft upstairs, while the bathroom has his and hers sink and a large shower.

While we are exploring, roars echo throughout the park.

A member of staff later tells us they once had a guest complain and ask if they can shut the animals up!

For us, it only adds to the experience, and I will save the suspense and tell you we were not kept up the whole night by our feline neighbours.

Now, I need to be honest. With such hefty prices, this is no ordinary hotel.

For the vast majority of people, it is unfeasible or a once-in-a-lifetime experience.

But hey, it’s nice to see how the other half live for one night, and decide for myself whether Port Lympne is worth the effusive praise of reality stars like Billie and Sam Faiers, as well as former footballer Rio Ferdinand and his wife Kate, all who have stayed in the park’s lodges.

Soon, it is time for dinner at The Garden Room.

My first drink of choice is a grapefruit spritz, which is tart and refreshing and compliments my salmon gravlax beautifully.

The cured salmon is served with beetroot, apple chutney and more smoked salmon mixed with cream cheese.

Sticking with fish for my main course, the Peterhead cod fillet, which comes with romesco sauce and a fennel, caper and lemon butter, is perfectly cooked.

Also on the side is a potato hash cake, beautifully buttery and fried to a perfect crisp.

Having stuffed myself, I went for two scoops of honeycomb ice cream and an espresso martini for dessert.

It’s my favourite cocktail and this was a good one - not too sweet with a rich, strong coffee flavour.

My friend is a fussy eater and the excellent waiter and the chefs accommodated her requests easily.

After dinner, we made the most of what our room offered.

At the garden's edge is a decking with a firepit overlooking the impressive view.

There was even a bag of marshmallows and roasting sticks ready for us to use.

Sitting under a blanket in front of a roaring fire and looking out onto a sky full of stars and twinkling lights below was quite extraordinary.

After a board game and a film, with the fire on again inside, it was time for bed.

The distant rumble of the lions echoed and soothed us to sleep, and they soon called it a night too.

But despite hearing them - we still hadn’t actually seen them.

So come dawn, I jumped out of bed and headed straight to the window. It was only just getting light, but squinting through the grass, I caught my first glimpse.

The pair - both boys - had settled down for the night next to each other in a shelter right in front of our room.

Named Kamari and Hasani I could just see their huge paws peeking through the straw, as they laid sprawled out like any old house cat.

I made myself a coffee with the machine provided and waited anxiously for them to wake.

Like most cats, they seemed to be lazy, and it was a while before they began to stretch and yawn.

We spent the rest of the early morning staring lovingly at the beasts, as they slowly emerged and looked around.

Eventually, they went off to parade their terrain, and we headed to breakfast. Quite an amazing way to start the day.

The service was once again top-notch and smashed avocado on focaccia with scrambled egg hit the spot.

My friend had to shoot off, but my day was about to get even better.

I met a ranger at reception, and I was soon whisked away on the ‘ultimate safari experience’.

Our first stop was with the rhinos. Getting close to and feeding these incredible animals is something I will never forget.

It was a bit daunting at first, as the female we were handing celery sticks to had a head as big as me!

But soon I was stroking her on the nose, and the keeper told me and the couple who were also on the tour how she was born at the park and lives with her mum, despite them usually being solitary animals.

We hopped in the back of a Land Rover and toured around Port Lympne’s English safari, learning about every species as we went.

Soon, it was time to feed the giraffes.

They took a bit of coaxing over, but soon their strong bristly tongues were pulling the leaves out of my hands.

It’s hard to appreciate just how huge they are until you are standing right in front of them.

After whizzing through the various sections of Kentish savannah, it was time to go home, and sadly wave goodbye to my slice of celebrity living.

This was truly a once-in-a-lifetime staycation and my lion lullaby is something I will not forget in a hurry. But the owls and foxes will have to do for now.

Lion Lodge sleeps two adults and two children, with prices starting at £1,469 a night. The ultimate safari experience with two animal encounters costs £105 per person. For more details, click here