All properties
What makes a perfect holiday is so often the perfect holiday home: our range of alternative hand-picked properties, from big barns to beach huts, are a cut above the norm when it comes to luxury self-catering breaks.
Knowing where to start is often the first hurdle when it comes to choosing the best place to stay for you and your group, whatever the size. Luckily, we've done the hard work for you, scouring the UK from top to bottom to hand-pick the very best self-catering homes, from rural retreats to luxury lodges. Here at Unique Homestays, it's tricky to say what our favourite property might be from the extensive collection we've grown over the years. For some of us it's that tiny cottage on the side of the Irish lake, surrounded by nothing but blue waters and moss-scented air, and no noise except the chatter of birds right outside the window.
Others would say it's the huge manor house in its own private gardens with the cinema room and tennis court – perfect for the ultimate group gathering. Whatever your taste, group size and holiday requirement, from short-stay to long-term, cultural breaks, wilderness retreats, surf spots, pooch and baby-friendly homes, wedding venues and more, we can cater to your needs and organise special extras too. We've even found properties in film-shoot locations (think Poldark and Cornwall). Still don't know where to start? Give us a call to discuss your needs in person: however tall the order, we love getting stuck into a challenge!
Filly Island
Cirencester, Gloucestershire, The Cotswolds, UK
Blending style with a big dose of ingenuity results in something truly quite magical here at Filly Island. This unique cottage near Cirencester is sat upon a tiny island accessed by a humpback bridge. Pre-loved finds are revivified to bring about the unique interiorscape at Filly Island.
Sleeps: Up to 2 guests
From: £950 per week, £795 per short break
Pets: Two small well-behaved dogs are welcome
Elissa
Cirencester, Gloucestershire, The Cotswolds, UK
Surrounded by miles of undulating countryside, this luxury self-catering home is all about life’s simple pleasures; drawn-out pub lunches, rural rambles and evenings in the hot tub.
Sleeps: Up to 4 guests (2 adults and 2 children)
From: £1,695 per week, £1,295 per short break
Alternative Group Option: Up to 2 guests
Pets: Two well-behaved dogs are welcome
Features: Hot tub
Under the Yew Tree
Syde, Cheltenham, Gloucestershire, The Cotswolds, UK
Enter a modernised Cotswolds homestead of Anglo-Saxon parentage; with sacrosanct paintings and limewashed walls, Under the Yew Tree is the early medieval darling of Cheltenham.
Sleeps: Up to 4 guests
From: £1,950 per week, £1,450 per short break
Alternative Group Option: Up to 2 guests
Pets: One well-behaved dog is welcome
The Walled Garden
Dyrham, Bath, The Cotswolds, UK
Perhaps the most ornate vegetable store in the whole of England, The Walled Garden began life as a potato house for Dyrham Park. This romantic retreat sits on the western edge of the Cotswolds, not far from Bath and all its gleaming treasures.
Sleeps: Up to 4 guests
From: £1,895 per week, £1,395 per short break
Alternative Group Option: Up to 2 guests
Pets: One small well-behaved dog is welcome
Features: Fire pit, use of the owners´ tennis court
The Flower Press
Bibury, Gloucestershire, The Cotswolds, UK
Emerald green in spring and fire red in autumn, creeper-clad cottage The Flower Press is a restful self-catering retreat nestled in the welcoming arms of quintessential Bibury. Snow-white walls, candelabras, chandeliers and vibrant gardens brimming with anemones bring a feel of modern-day Provence to this gorgeous old Cotswold manse.
Sleeps: Up to 4 guests
From: £1,995 per week, £1,595 per short break
Alternative Group Option: Up to 2 guests
Pets: Two well-behaved dogs over the age of 12 months are welcome
The Ruby Barn
Sandford St Martin, Chipping Norton, Oxfordshire, The Cotswolds, UK
Bringing a touch of Californian chicness to the Oxfordshire countryside, this luxury Cotswold stone barn conversion has been fashioned with soul.
Sleeps: Up to 6 guests
From: £2,350 per week, £1,795 per short break
Alternative Group Option: Up to 2 guests
Pets: Two well behaved dogs are welcome
Features: Children´s play area with slide
Margot´s Townhouse
Bradford-on-Avon, Wiltshire, The Cotswolds, UK
A greenery-infused internal courtyard brings a burst of botany to this luxury self-catering home in Bradford-on-Avon, in which storied libraries and earthen marble add an opulent timbre to an eighteenth-century weaver’s townhouse near Bath.
Sleeps: Up to 6 guests
From: £2,250 per week, £1,695 per short break
Alternative Group Option: Up to 4 & Up to 2 guests
Pets: One small well-behaved dog is welcome
Atticus
Burford, Oxfordshire, The Cotswolds, UK
Treacle-toned Cotswold stone, iron gates and heavy antique doors hint at this striking home’s colourful past. Once a court house and a later jail, Atticus can be found jostling amongst a row of fine period buildings at the end of Burfords' golden high street.
Sleeps: Up to 8 guests
From: £3,395 per week, £2,550 per short break
Pets: Two well-behaved dogs are welcome
Features: Baby Grand Piano and fire pit
Evania
Bentham, Cheltenham, Gloucestershire, The Cotswolds, UK
Inspired by the colours and countryside of the Mediterranean, this Gloucestershire home with heated outdoor swimming pool and hot tub, is the perfect family retreat.
Sleeps: Up to 10 guests
From: £4,750 per week, £3,750 per short break
Alternative Group Option: Up to 6 & Up to 4 guests
Pets: Two well-behaved dogs are welcome, or three on prior request
Features: Outdoor heated swimming pool (May - September), hot tub, outdoor kitchen area with built-in gas barbecue, games room with table football, pool table, table tennis and television
The Find
Cranham, Cheltenham, Gloucestershire, The Cotswolds, UK
Dynamic pairing of luxury architect-designed properties in a beautifully secluded valley location in the Cotswolds.
Sleeps: Up to 12 guests
From: £6,250 per week, £5,000 per short break
Alternative Group Option: Up to 8 & Up to 4 guests
Pets: Two well-behaved dogs are welcome on prior request
Features: Trampoline, rowing boat, hot tub hire is available (please enquire for details)
The Aviary
Moreton-in-Marsh, Gloucestershire, The Cotswolds, UK
Traditional Cotswold stone provides the golden foundations for some striking modern flourishes at this luxury farmhouse retreat.
Sleeps: Up to 12 guests (10 adults and 2 children)
From: £5,995 per week, £4,495 per short break
Pets: One well-behaved dog is welcome
Features: Outdoor heated swimming pool and hot tub (May - September), tennis court, cinema room and playing fields with football goals
Anthology Farm
Cheltenham, Gloucestershire, The Cotswolds, UK
With a 300-year-old history, an indoor pool that could have been lifted from a members-only health club, and surrounding acreage to thrill the young'uns, Anthology Farm is a sought-after estate made for large family gatherings.
Sleeps: Up to 18 guests
From: £9,450 per week, £7,350 per short break
Alternative Group Option: Up to 10 guests
Pets: Pets are considered on prior agreement
Features: Heated indoor swimming pool, cinema room, tennis court, table tennis, gym equipment, purpose built yoga studio and electric car charging point
Gulliver´s Hall
Bisley, Stroud, Gloucestershire, The Cotswolds, UK
Blending ancestral tales with elegant maximalism, Gulliver's Hall brings spa facilities to the soulful countryside; characterful, luxurious, and daring all in one sweep, this is a playful family estate in the beating heart of the Cotswolds.
Sleeps: Up to 21 guests
From: £7,795 per week, £5,895 per short break
Alternative Group Option: Up to 15 & Up to 6 guests
Pets: Two well-behaved dogs are welcome on prior request
Features: Outdoor heated swimming pool (April-October), sunken spa bath, sauna, steam room, outdoor shower, outdoor kitchen with pizza oven, paella burner, games and cinema room, tennis court, croquet lawn
The Marlings
Standish, Stroud, Gloucestershire, The Cotswolds, UK
A stone’s throw from the limestone grassland and fruit markets of the Cotswolds, this luxury self-catering farmhouse that’s set across five dwellings in Standish has a heated pool, hot tub, playground, and tennis court to rival any private family resort.
Sleeps: Up to 25 guests (20 adults and 5 children)
From: £7,795 per week, £5,895 per short break
Alternative Group Option: Up to 12 guests
Pets: Three well-behaved dogs are welcome
Features: Heated outdoor pool (available April to October) with pool house, hot tub, tennis court, wooden playpark, massage room
Weddings at Anthology Farm
Cheltenham, Gloucestershire, The Cotswolds, UK
An 18th century barn designed with love-filled celebrations and grand gatherings in mind, Anthology Farm is poised at the head of an ancient Cotswolds valley on the outskirts of vibrant Cheltenham, just two hours from London.
Sleeps: Up to 18
From: £15,495 per week, £13,695 per short break
Alternative Group Option: Up to 18 guests
Pets: Pets are considered on prior agreement
Features: Wedding barn, heated indoor swimming pool, tennis court and electric car charging point
Weddings at Gulliver´s Hall
Bisley, Stroud, Gloucestershire, The Cotswolds, UK
Modern bohemians, lovestruck eccentrics, and pairs of playful classicists, meet Gulliver’s Hall: a made-to-measure luxury wedding venue available for exclusive hire in the Cotswolds.
Sleeps: Up to 21 guests
From: £13,895 per week, £11,695 per short break
Alternative Group Option: Up to 40 & Up to 21 guests
Pets: Two well-behaved dogs are welcome on prior request
Features: Outdoor heated swimming pool (April-October), sunken spa bath, sauna, steam room, outdoor shower, outdoor kitchen with pizza oven, paella burner, games and cinema room, tennis court, croquet lawn