As the season for twinkling lights and not-so-silent nights comes to a close, and all about are swirling notions of what the New Year might bring, we become a collective of hopeful look-aheaders. Might we scurry through the golden streets of The Cotswolds, cotton totes bulging with treats from grocers and piemakers? Hole up in a Welsh cottage in wildflower meadows? Surf secret waves on deserted Cornish beaches? Next year's travel plans are at our fingertips.
On to 2023; whether it’s for family gatherings, candlelit dinners, or spur-of-the-moment jaunts to paradisiacal nooks at the worlds’ end. Sometimes, it takes a little reminding to know that these are the good old days. So before life gets in the way, while there’s still tea in the pot and piles of custard creams to fuel the search, take inspiration from our top ten picks of the best places to stay in the UK and Ireland in 2023. After all, half the thrill is in the finding...
Luxury homes in Ireland
Wild loop trails dotted with glinting lakes, pubs spilling out sounds of accordions and tin whistles, and emerald pasturelands as far as the eye can see; our luxury homes in Ireland are places to sustain toe-tapping travellers’ tales for many moons to come.
Where to stay in Ireland: Limehouse Cottage in County Westmeath
Found where mountains, lakes, and valleys collide, Limehouse Cottage mixes quaint Irish living with glass-box modernity on the Iveragh Peninsula. A fire-roaring basecamp for ascents of Macgillycuddy's Reeks and wild swims in Coomasaharn Lake, this is a self-catering hideaway that has something of the Spanish islands and Moroccan hills wrapped up in its weather-beaten walls.
Where to stay in Ireland: Walden Lakehouse in County Kerry
In Walden, Thoreau said it best: “I find it wholesome to be alone the greater part of the time. I never found the companion that was so companionable as solitude.” At luxury cabin Walden Lakehouse, tucked away on a secret spot on Ireland’s longest river, there's glorious retro innards to return to after quiet days spent getting lost in the woods.
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Luxury homes in Scotland
Some places are made for the wild and free. In a country where mist rises off the lochs, and all about are opportunities to embrace the ancient ways of the Scots, our luxury homes in the Highlands can be found where heather blooms and whisky flows.
Where to stay in Scotland: Usonia in Melrose
A luxury self-catering sanctuary in Melrose that feels among the treetops, but has all the Nordic decadence of a steaming hot tub and meditative sauna on site, Usonia is a Scottish retreat that celebrates cosy functionality while staying true to its modernist bones, and all on the doorstep of one of Britain's greatest pilgrimages.
Where to stay in Scotland: Little Eden in Loch Lomond
Tucked away on the bonny, bonny banks of Loch Lomond, Little Eden is an impossibly secluded luxury self-catering Highlands cottage that hides amongst a broccoli floret of foliage. Start on the West Highland Way from the front door after a breakfast picnicking with red squirrels.
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Luxury homes in Wales
Salt marshes where dogs chase migratory birds, Iron Age hill forts that turn children to knights and nobles, and cloud-touching mountains shrouded in Arthurian legends; our luxury homes in Wales’ wildest territories raise the bar for adventurous family holidays and romantic breaks.
Where to stay in Wales: The Pandy House in Snowdonia
After a march across a bridge that overs the Afon Roe, your party will arrive at The Pandy House. Fringed by rivers and woodlands, this large, luxury family home is a place for pilgrims of Snowdonia. In this kaleidoscopalal constant on the Welsh hills, hunker down in a place where Renaissance portraits hang beside golden Daschunds, and the bar cart is always stocked with botanical gin.
Where to stay in Wales: Hinterland Cabin in Snowdonia
Between cups of tea and bites of oatcakes, balance on the sofa’s edge to put together 1000-piece puzzles in the lull of a late-night radio show, then dash between hot tub and sauna. This is Hinterland Cabin, a luxury self-catering escape in Conwy's forested valley. When the wee hours arrive, retire inside to slumber in what the press call ‘possibly the best log cabin in Britain’.
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Luxury homes on England's South Coast
In a clash of coast and cliff, where kingfishers and cranes comes to play and the fresh air sends all to salt-whipped slumber, our luxury homes on the south coast of England are swaddled by townships that still hold secrets of the past, and waterways that tempt the bravest of wild swimmers.
Where to stay on the south coast of England: Pearl’s on Sea in East Sussex
Just a stroll from Winchelsea Beach, but with a heated swimming pool and wood-fired tub that bring the holistic edge of a Swedish spa retreat, this is British seaside living en luxe. At Pearl's on Sea, a laidback East Sussex shack where rock ‘n’ roll and busy eastern markets intertwine, you'll find bohemian glamour behind every inch of clapperboard.
Where to stay in the south coast of England: Pepper Shack in Hampshire
Sharing county bounds with the real-life Watership Down, Pepper Shack is a luxury cabin in Hampshire that happens where the moodiness of a contemporary gothic bolthole meets kumquat sofas and copper tubs that glint from the shadows. Hop on cruiser bikes to whip through the New Forest or venture to the Solent to become at-one with the waves.
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Luxury homes in Cornwall
When we conjure images of British escapes that seem to have it all, from sheltered beaches that feature on magazine covers to coastal eateries that showcase the county’s culinary chops, all roads lead to the sun-seeking south. Our luxury homes in Cornwall read like a who’s-who of the UK’s answer to Malibu.
Where to stay in Cornwall: Ukiyo in Coverack
It’s Cornwall, but feels like the Aegean Islands. At Ukiyo, a luxury self-catering hideaway on the untamed east coast of Cornwall's Lizard Peninsula, you'll be wrapped up in glass; outside, rocky outcrops pierce through the ocean and dolphin-spotters put birders to shame. Ready to anoint yourself in saltwater? Go where concrete and textiles meet.
Where to stay in Cornwall: Senara in Gwithian
Inside Senara, a large, luxury homestay in the hinterland of Gwithian beach, folks young and old will gather in the terracotta kitchen to tell tales of moonrise surfs and migrating rare birds spotted from the hot tub. With its circular bathtub, Scandinavian sauna, and hallways lined with hand-carved surfboards, a stay at this north Cornwall oasis is nothing short of idyllic.
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Browse the full collection of luxury self-catering homes in the UK and Ireland.
