Family-friendly self-catering
Children pick out wonder and awe in the smallest detail. These family-friendly locations come with muddy puddles, rock pools and garden games for all.
Little ones see everything through rainbow-tinted spectacles, and travelling with children should be a halcyon experience. What was once mundane becomes a shiny sparkle: the smallest puddles can turn into an exciting ocean voyage across stormy waves; those gnarled and twisted trees on a woodland walk are now tall turreted towers that must be scaled. There's nothing like exploring a new area with a child-friendly luxury holiday home as a base, heading out wellies on and a little hand clasped in yours, pointing in awe at clouds shaped like giraffes and glow worms lighting up the night. All the better enjoyed with grandparents, multi-generational group gatherings allow parents to sneak off and enjoy moonlit dips in heated swimming pools, or pop open a bottle of bubbles under starry skies while sinking into a garden hot tub. Time spent together is time well spent, after all, and memories are made of this.
Aquila
Bampton, The Lake District, Cumbria, UK
Aquila is a modernist lake house with a seductively clandestine appeal, set right on the sparkling Haweswater shoreline within the tarns and fells of the Mardale Valley.
Sleeps: Up to 6 guests
From: £1,650 per week, £1,250 per short break
Alternative Group Option: Up to 2 guests
Pets: Sorry, no pets
Features: Tesla Powerwall home battery system and electric car charging point
Figtree House
Farleton, Kirkby Lonsdale, Cumbria, UK
This exquisitely interior designed luxury self-catering home stay is set within 17 acres of rolling Cumbrian countryside, not far from the historic town of Kirkby Lonsdale and the Lake District.
Sleeps: Up to 10
From: £1,995 per week, £1,495 per short break
Alternative Group Option: Up to 6 & Up to 4 guests
Pets: One well-behaved dog is welcome on prior request
Features: Luxurious snug with TV and Blu-ray player
Skyline
Staveley, The Lake District, Cumbria, UK
Perched high above the village of Staveley with breath-taking views across the valley, Skyline is a truly unique luxury property with tennis court, grand piano and 11 acres of woodland.
Sleeps: Up to 10 guests
From: £2,650 per week, £2,250 per short break
Alternative Group Option: Up to 6 guests
Pets: Two well-behaved dogs are welcome on prior request
Features: Tennis court, Steinway grand piano, a helicopter can land on the drive (with prior arrangement), hot tub hire is available (by prior arrangement)
Winterfell
Windermere, The Lake District, Cumbria, UK
In a land far, far away, nestled between the majestic mountains and forested hills of the Lake District, lies this luxury private lake home near Lake Windermere in Ulverton.
Sleeps: Up to 12 guests
From: £3,750 per week, £2,995 per short break
Alternative Group Option: Up to 8 & Up to 6 guests
Pets: Two well-behaved dogs are welcome
Features: Fire pit
