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 Walled Garden
Dyrham, Bath, The Cotswolds, UK
Perhaps the most ornate vegetable store in the whole of England, The Walled Garden began life as a potato house for Dyrham Park. This romantic retreat sits on the western edge of the Cotswolds, not far from Bath and all its gleaming treasures.
Sleeps: Up to 4 guests
From: £1,750 per week, £1,295 per short break
Alternative Group Option: Up to 2 guests
Pets: One small well-behaved dog is welcome
Features: Fire pit, use of the owners´ tennis court
Aria
Crowcombe, The Quantock Hills, Somerset, UK
A design-led abode with a pared-back, curated edge, at Aria a world where finesse, peace and leisurely days reign.
Sleeps: Up to 8 guests
From: £2,995 per week, £2,295 per short break
Alternative Group Option: Up to 6 & Up to 2 guests
Pets: Sorry, no pets
Features: Wood-fired hot tub
Wool Merchant´s House
Beckington, Frome, Somerset, UK
Classic and tasteful in style, with pops of modern artwork, a heated outdoor swimming pool and immaculate attention to detail, this Frome country home is an exquisite Somerset retreat.
Sleeps: Up to 10 guests
From: £4,250 per week, £3,395 per short break
Alternative Group Option: Up to 6 guests
Pets: One well-behaved dog is welcome
Features: Heated outdoor swimming pool (May - September inclusive)
Thornemead Castle
Weston-super-Mare, Somerset, UK
Be Lord of the Manor at this 240-year-old gothic castle set within manicured lawns and wildflower meadows within walking distance of the Somerset coast.
Sleeps: Up to 10 guests (+3 children)
From: £3,550 per week, £2,695 per short break
Alternative Group Option: Up to 6 guests
Pets: Sorry, no pets
Features: Hot tub hire is available (please enquire for details), football table, badminton, volley ball, games room, outdoor tennis table, croquet lawn, library, Kadai fire bowl and pizza oven.
Viola
Butleigh, Glastonbury, Somerset, UK
Between the rolling hills of Somerset, not far from Glastonbury, lies Viola, a luxury home of two wildly different personalities.
Sleeps: Up to 12 guests
From: £9,995 per week, £7,495 per short break
Alternative Group Option: Up to 8 guests
Pets: One well-behaved dog is welcome or two on request
Features: Spa Jacuzzi, sauna, swimming pool (available May- September inclusive), a fully equipped gym, cinema room, a lake, two full motion Formula 1 racing simulators, table tennis and a tennis court
Pearl´s Place
Hugged by a scrambling rose garden and woodland glades, this rock 'n' roll home brings together traditional country chic with gorgeous faded glamour. A unique setting for special celebrations and self-catering escapes.
Sleeps: Up to 18 (14 adults and 4 children)
From: £10,595 per week, £8,450 per short break
Pets: Two small well-behaved dogs are welcome
Features: Wood-fired hot tub
