Baby-friendly holidays in the UK
These are places put together with littles in mind: for gatherings with grandparents-turned-sitters, or star-crossed babymooners seeking slumber. With blocks and books, cots and stairgates, luxury baby-friendly holidays in the UK can only happen in homes as curated as these.
You might be surrounded by tiny socks, wooden rattles, and bassinet blankets, but these are the days when memories are made. British babymooners, now is the time to retreat to a luxury family-friendly home in the country and make flump on a miles-deep sofa ‘til long past lunchtime. We know that baby-friendly holidays in the UK come with a longer checklist, so whether you're new to the parenting thing or three children in, these homes are kitted out for all your little one's needs; think cots and stairgates, wooden toys and story books, and cottages so close to the coast that the ocean soundscape will send them to slumber.
Perhaps now is the time for a big group gathering to introduce a little bundle to the whole clan? With grandparents chomping at the bit to have their turn holding the bottle, and siblings waiting in the wings with fairytales and fables up their sleeves, there's nothing like having all hands on deck to calm the laser-like focus that tiny babies bring. At these luxurious country houses, you'll have the option to indulge in cold water therapy in wild swimming lakes, embrace all the healing benefits of the sauna, or simply slink off for an early supper by the garden pizza oven while the big cousins do cot-side duties in the cinema room.
The Hop Store
Set within 150 acres of perfectly aligned hop yards, rolling meadows and juicy apple orchards, The Hop Store is idyllically situated on one of the last remaining hop farms in the UK.
Sleeps: Up to 4 guests
From: £1,795 per week, £1,350 per short break
Alternative Group Option: Up to 2 guests
Pets: Sorry, no pets
Features: Hot tub and fire pit, heated garden room, games room with bar, pool table, dartboard and giant jenga
Hollyhocks
Wend through Herefordshire’s patchwork countryside and find this chalky Tudor cottage nestled on the banks of the river Arrow in the fairy-tale village of Eardisland.
Sleeps: Up to 6 guests (ideally 4 adults and 2 children)
From: £2,095 per week, £1,595 per short break
Alternative Group Option: Up to 2 guests
Pets: Two well behaved dogs are welcome
Features: William Holland spa bath and outdoor kitchen
Atelier Rose
This luxury riverside home is a wonderland of vintage charm. Ring the old pull-string bell and push open the door to botanic coving, four-poster beds, an orangery with giant tin spa bath and secret topiary gardens.
Sleeps: Up to 12 guests (10 adults and 2 children)
From: £3,395 per week, £2,550 per short break
Alternative Group Option: Up to 6 guests
Pets: Two well-behaved dogs are welcome
Features: Large William Holland spa bath, cinema room, pool table room
Charity
Black Mountains, Herefordshire, UK
Modern rusticity, clever artistry and divine seclusion combine to make Charity the ultimate wild retreat for friends and family gatherings; set down a winding mountain road in the Olchon Valley near the Brecon Beacons.
Sleeps: Up to 12 guests
From: £3,395 per week, £2,550 per short break
Alternative Group Option: Up to 6 guests
Pets: Two well-behaved dogs are welcome
Features: Wood-fired hot tub, sauna, outdoor shower, outdoor pizza oven, table tennis, snooker room, cinema barn and badminton lawn
The Sculptor´s Gardens
A luxury country escape overflowing in vintage fizz, this unique pairing of riverside properties offer the perfect retreat for large groups and families.
Sleeps: Up to 18 guests (16 adults and 2 children)
From: £5,495 per week, £4,350 per short break
Pets: Two well-behaved dogs are welcome
Features: William Holland spa baths, outdoor kitchen, tree house, cinema room, games room with pool table
Weddings at Charity
Black Mountains, Herefordshire, UK
A big and beautiful celebration house hidden deep in the heather-clad hills of the dreamy Olchon Valley, yet just three hours from London, Charity embodies the very essence of wild and free.
Sleeps: Up to 12 guests and accommodates up to 100 day guests
From: £7,150 per week, £5,695 per short break
Alternative Group Option: Up to 50 & Up to 30 guests
Pets: Two well-behaved dogs are welcome
Features: Wood-fired hot tub, sauna, outdoor shower, outdoor pizza oven, table tennis, snooker room, cinema barn
