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 happen when there's just as much enchantment to be found inside as out.
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.
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
Alternative Group Option: Up to 2 guests
From: £1,795 per week, £1,350 per short break
Pets: Sorry, no pets
Features: Hot tub and fire pit, heated garden room, games room with pool table, dartboard and giant jenga
Hollyhocks
A chalky Tudor cottage nestled on the banks of the river Arrow in the fairy-tale village of Eardisland, this is a characterful home, complete with hot tub
Sleeps: Up to 6 guests (ideally 4 adults and 2 children)
Alternative Group Option: Up to 2 guests
From: £2,195 per week, £1,695 per short break
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)
Alternative Group Option: Up to 6 guests
From: £3,550 per week, £2,695 per short break
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
Alternative Group Option: Up to 6 guests
From: £3,595 per week, £2,695 per short break
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
For those seeking a celebratory gathering space less ordinary, Alice in Wonderland-esque gardens, a duo of hot tubs, games and cinema rooms combine in this unique pairing of riverside properties that offer the perfect luxury country retreat.
Sleeps: Up to 18 guests (16 adults and 2 children)
From: £5,750 per week, £4,550 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