Luxury family holidays in the UK
Children do find wonder in the little things, but luxury family holidays in the UK have a lot more to offer than muddy puddles and rock pools. Think cinema snugs, games rooms, garden parties, and tennis courts.
Little ones see everything through rainbow-tinted spectacles, making travelling with children and babies an eye-opening experience. What was once mundane becomes a shiny sparkle, the smallest puddles can become a tumultuous ocean voyage, and those gnarled and twisted trees on the wilderness walk are now tall, turreted towers that must be scaled. While there's nothing like the magic of exploring a new place through the little ones' eyes, luxury family holidays in the UK are all about making sure the magic isn't left behind at the front door.
Outside, there's secret gardens and topiary mazes. Inside, there's fairytale four poster beds and movie projectors. Head out with sunhats on, pointing in awe at clouds shaped like giraffes, then return to pizza and playgrounds. All the better enjoyed with grandparents in tow, multi-generational group gatherings allow parents to sneak off for moonlit dips in heated swimming pools, or pop open a bottle of bubbles in the hot tub under Cornwall's starry skies. Time spent together is time well spent, after all, and memories are made of this.
Over Lemon River
Ashburton, Dartmoor, Devon, UK
Dartmoor is Devons wild heart; a place where heather cloaks the ground like an over-sized velvet eiderdown and granite tors scramble to meet big open skies. On fine days, ponies wander amidst the mysticism of faeries but when the swirling mists arrive, Over Lemon River is the perfect hideaway.
Sleeps: Up to 2 guests
From: £1,295 per week, £995 per short break
Pets: Two dogs are welcome
Features: Al fresco living space with wood-fired hot tub and fire pit
The Riddle
North Bovey, Dartmoor, Devon, UK
Plot your country escape to this luxury holiday cottage in North Bovey; one of Devon's most idyllic villages set within the rugged beauty of Dartmoor National Park. The Riddle is the type of cottage you might find on the pages of a storybook.
Sleeps: Up to 4 guests
From: £1,750 per week, £1,250 per short break
Alternative Group Option: Up to 2 guests
Pets: Two well-behaved dogs are welcome, or three on prior request.
The Creamery
Abbotsham, Appledore, Devon, UK
Far from the crowds, the Hartland Heritage Coast is a halcyon world of pebble beaches and Beatrix Potter wildlife backed by a deep blue sea. Set between Appledore and Clovelly, The Creamery was made for those hidden-away self-catering holidays in Devon.
Sleeps: Up to 4 guests
From: £1,750 per week, £1,350 per short break
Alternative Group Option: Up to 2 guests
Pets: Two well-behaved dogs are welcome with a third small dog on request
Features: Fire pit, hot tub
Ivy Cove
Holbeton, Noss Mayo, Devon, UK
Perfectly placed for both sun baking and storm watching, Ivy Cove is a luxury cottage near Noss Mayo where colourful modern design and spectacular coastal views go hand in hand.
Sleeps: Up to 4 guests
From: £2,195 per week, £1,695 per short break
Alternative Group Option: Up to 2 guests
Pets: Two well-behaved dogs are welcome, or three small dogs on prior request
Features: Wood-fired hot tub
Castle on the Well
Charles, South Molton, Exmoor, Devon, UK
Fusing luxurious shooting lodge appeal with a modern country twist, Castle on the Well hides within a patchwork of rolling Devonshire countryside, on the edge of Exmoor National Park. A unique luxury castle in miniature for a family holiday to remember.
Sleeps: Up to 6 guests
From: £2,095 per week, £1,550 per short break
Alternative Group Option: Up to 4 & Up to 2 guests
Pets: One small to medium well-behaved dog is welcome and two on prior request
Features: Fire pit
Novella
This cob cottage deep in Devon woodland is a storybook of a home, tucked down a lane and decked out in botanical prints, vintage embroidery and antique furniture, inviting imaginations to unfurl.
Sleeps: Up to 6 guests
From: £1,895 per week, £1,395 per short break
Alternative Group Option: Up to 2 guests
Pets: Two well-behaved dogs are welcome
Features: Hot tub, trampoline, table tennis, outdoor kitchen (year-round)
The Lost Music Hall
Created by a London dandy to serve as his secret retreat from society, this former music hall has been restored in all its Arts and Crafts glory to offer unique escapes in a hidden valley of Devon's South Hams AONB.
Sleeps: Up to 6 guests
From: £1,995 per week, £1,595 per short break
Alternative Group Option: Up to 2 & Up to 12 guests
Pets: Two pets are welcome
Features: Heated outdoor swimming pool (May-September) and games room with table tennis and darts
Rydon
Trusham, Teign Valley, Devon, UK
Enjoy some time out at this contemporary self-catering barn dwelling squirrelled away in the picturesque Teign Valley, Devon.
Sleeps: Up to 6 guests
From: £1,595 per week, £1,195 per short break
Alternative Group Option: Up to 4 & Up to 2 guests
Pets: Two well-behaved dogs are welcome (must be kept on leads in the grounds)
Features: Heated pool (from 5th May to 29th September)
The Brandy Thief
Lee, Ilfracombe, Devon, UK
Awash with history and swathed in character, this luxury coastal cottage is a dreamy retreat for explorers looking to hunker down in North Devon.
Sleeps: Up to 6 guests
From: £1,950 per week, £1,450 per short break
Alternative Group Option: Up to 2 guests
Pets: One small to medium well-behaved dog is welcome and two on prior request
Kohtalo
Combe Martin, Ilfracombe, Devon, UK
Kohtalo is a grand design conceived by childhood sweethearts. Just 15 minutes from the Ilfracombe coast and with a hot tub settled under the stars, this luxury holiday home is a modern, welcoming family escape.
Sleeps: Up to 8 guests
From: £2,295 per week, £1,750 per short break
Alternative Group Option: Up to 4 guests
Pets: Two well-behaved dogs are welcome
Features: Hot tub
Botania
Ashburton, Dartmoor, Devon, UK
All at once wrapped in Dartmoors mossy-hued clutches and minutes from the good-living village of Ashburton, this Arts and Crafts manor is a portrait of minimal maximalism that keeps Devon's River Dart in its backyard.
Sleeps: Up to 10 guests
From: £2,950 per week, £2,250 per short break
Alternative Group Option: Up to 6 guests
Pets: Two well-behaved dogs are welcome
Leopoldina
Stoke Gabriel, Totnes, Devon, UK
Once the stables to Sandridge Park and now a luxury self-catering home near Totnes, this grand Italianate manor might have housed silken steeds in its past life, but these days it beckons Devon merrymakers to grip easy South Hams highlife by the withers.
Sleeps: Up to 10 guests
From: £5,150 per week, £3,895 per short break
Pets: Sorry, no pets
Features: Outdoor heated pool (available May-September), private beach on the River Dart, yoga space with roof terrace, and games room with table tennis
Ellesmera Mill
This enchanting 400 year old millhouse is chock-full of old-world charm. Set in the South Hams near Dartmouth, the dreamy south Devon coast is almost within touching distance and a short stroll through the valley leads to the sheltered cove of Blackpool Sands.
Sleeps: Up to 10 guests
From: £3,450 per week, £2,995 per short break
Pets: Sorry, no pets
Features: Wood-fired hot tub, sauna, cinema room with table football
Verte
A spectacularly grown-up treehouse, Verte seamlessly merges inside-outside living within the lush Devon estate of Chevithorne Barton. This RIBA-award winning modern home was designed to reset the soul.
Sleeps: Up to 10 guests (6 adults and 4 children)
From: £3,450 per week, £2,595 per short break
Alternative Group Option: Up to 6 guests
Pets: Two well-behaved dogs are welcome, or three on prior request
Features: Wood-fired hot tub, large flat lawn for croquet, football and badminton
Gorsestone
North Bovey, Dartmoor, Devon, UK
Set in 55 acres of wildlife-rich land on Dartmoor in Devon, this luxury self-catering farmhouse with a hot tub is the poster child for transitional design; evoking the feeling of being among the moss and water mint even when tucked indoors.
Sleeps: Up to 14 guests
From: £4,250 per week, £3,195 per short break
Alternative Group Option: Up to 8 guests
Pets: Two well-behaved dogs are welcome
Features: Cinema room, hot tub, pool table, and play room
