Luxury family holidays
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.
Papilio Creek
Milborne Wick, Sherborne, Dorset, UK
Contemporary and idyllic, romantic and bright, Papilio Creek in rural Dorset is a celestial haven of harmony and joy where gentle relaxation and garden naps are the only things on the agenda.
Sleeps: Up to 4 guests
From: £1,995 per week, £1,495 per short break
Alternative Group Option: Up to 2 guests
Pets: Sorry, no pets
Features: Hot tub, sauna, steam room and a rowing machine are available
Fjall
Fishpond, Lyme Regis, Dorset, UK
With faded pink plaster walls and swirling concrete floors flowing from room to room, this luxury self-catering hideaway with views of the Jurassic Coast would be as comfortable amongst Morocco’s vibrant riads as it is in rural Dorset.
Sleeps: Up to 6 guests
From: £1,895 per week, £1,450 per short break
Alternative Group Option: Up to 2 guests
Pets: Sorry, no pets
Prairie De Gorge
Prairie De Gorge started life as two tumbledown cottages and has been tenderly renovated into an elegant luxury retreat near Burton Bradstock exuding country charm.
Sleeps: Up to 6 guests
From: £1,195 per week, £950 per short break
Alternative Group Option: Up to 4 & Up to 2 guests
Pets: Sorry, no pets
The Carriage House
A stylish luxury home for all the family to enjoy some time out close to Dorset's Jurassic coast in quaint Litton Cheney.
Sleeps: Up to 6 guests
From: £1,350 per week, £1,050 per short break
Alternative Group Option: Up to 2 guests
Pets: Sorry, no pets
Features: Use of tennis court
Sugar Ray
Vast sea views, bright interiors and an eclectic mix of furnishings make this clapboard Dorset beach house a unique beach retreat.
Sleeps: Up to 8 guests
From: £4,995 per week, £3,750 per short break
Alternative Group Option: Up to 6 & Up to 4 guests
Pets: Two small well-behaved dogs are welcome
Features: Outdoor heated swimming pool (May - September)
Elphinstone
Looking out across Studland Bay and the rolling Dorset countryside, this modern home is the perfect base for summer holidays by the sea.
Sleeps: Up to 8 guests
From: £3,150 per week, £2,295 per short break
Alternative Group Option: Up to 6 guests
Pets: Two well-behaved dogs are welcome
Features: Cinema room, outdoor pizza oven, table tennis, games room with pool table
Orbis
Milborne Wick, Sherborne, Dorset, UK
Available as a unique pairing of properties with Papilio Creek, Orbis offers simple and contemporary living in the heart of rural Dorset.
Sleeps: Up to 12 guests
From: £4,995 per week, £3,750 per short break
Alternative Group Option: Up to 6 guests
Pets: Sorry, no pets
Features: Hot tub available. A sauna and steam room can be used when Orbis is booked with Papilio Creek
Zephyros
Uplyme, Lyme Regis, Dorset, UK
Settled high atop a ridge on the Dorset-Devon border with a feeling of floating in the clouds, Zephyros overlooks miles of undulating valleys and arcadian hills, with the Jurassic coast sparkling to the south.
Sleeps: Up to 12 guests
From: £5,695 per week, £4,550 per short break
Pets: Sorry, no pets
Features: Heated indoor pool, cinema snug, children´s play area with swings, trampoline and climbing frame, table football
Kingfisher Farm
Long Bredy, Burton Bradstock, Dorset, UK
Surrounded by a wild meadow and with far-reaching rural views, this luxury self-catering farmhouse near Hive Beach in Dorset is the family holiday location of dreams.
Sleeps: Up to 14 guests
From: £3,995 per week, £3,150 per short break
Alternative Group Option: Up to 8 guests
Features: Table tennis, badminton, football table, lawn croquet, bowls
