For gathering
In the end, we’ll look back at the pictures we took beside that fire pit, in that treehouse, dancing around that kitchen island, and we’ll say: “look at us, we always filled those big houses to the rafters.”
Welcome to the family reunion: where kith and kin gather in large houses around the nation. Out on the wind-whipped balcony, an imaginative elder points out to sea and tells concocted stories of fisticuffs with sharks and trading treasures with the Pirates of Penzance. Inside, there’s fresh coffee and sweet apples from the orchard; and fair isle socks muffle the thuds of young ones testing their pillow obstacle course.
This winter is for coming together in luxury, for dogs dodging tumbling stacks of Jenga, for floating in and out of slumber as the stardust-souled play a motion picture, and the whole group gathers in the fire-warmed snug. Tables piled high with crackers and trailing grapes. Cheese boards and nut bowls and jars of fruit chutney; no space left for elbows. Carafes slosh with plummy Malbecs until the last drop is poured, well into the small hours.
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
Alternative Group Option: Up to 6 & Up to 4 guests
From: £4,995 per week, £3,950 per short break
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, cinema screen, games room with table football, pool table, table tennis and television
The Find
Cranham, Cheltenham, Gloucestershire, The Cotswolds, UK
A dynamic pairing of luxury Cotswolds homes in Cranham, The Find is an old stone cottage and architect-designed glass extension in a beautifully secluded valley near Cheltenham.
Sleeps: Up to 12 guests
From: £10,995 per week, £7,995 per short break
Pets: Two dogs are welcome
Features: Trampoline, hot tub hire is available (please enquire for details)
Anthology Farm
Cheltenham, Gloucestershire, The Cotswolds, UK
With an indoor pool, tennis court, and yoga studio, members-only health club Anthology Farm is a luxury country estate made for family gatherings near Cheltenham in the Cotswolds.
Sleeps: Up to 18 guests (increasing to 22 from May 2026)
Alternative Group Option: Up to 18 & Up to 10 guests
From: £11,850 per week, £8,895 per short break
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. From May 2026 there will also be a sauna, ice bath and two treatment rooms.
