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.
Smokehouse Cottage
Newgale, Pembrokeshire, Wales, UK
A white stone dot tucked beneath the hills, discover a piece of Wales' wild magic at this secluded bolthole on the Pembrokeshire coast. Formerly a smokery, this reclaimed fisherman’s cottage has been cleverly reinvented to create an authentic and characterful hideaway.
Sleeps: Up to 6 guests
From: £2,095 per week, £2,195 per short break
Pets: One small to medium well-behaved dog is welcome
Features: Wood-fired hot tub (available autumn and winter months on prior request), outdoor shower for surfers
Seren Mor
Newport, Pembrokeshire, Wales, UK
Nestled on the green cliffs of the Pembrokeshire coast, this luxury self-catering home in Wales is the perfect family retreat.
Sleeps: Up to 10 guests
From: £3,750 per week
Alternative Group Option: Up to 6 guests
Pets: One well-behaved dog is welcome
Features: Kayaks, surf boards and a private path directly onto the beach
Hiraeth
Nevern Valley, Pembrokeshire, Wales, UK
On a forested plot in Pembrokeshire’s backcountry, there’s a pair of sister properties with identities of their own; one traditional milk-white cottage, one soot-black gabled bothy, more Scandi health club than Welsh homestead.
Sleeps: Up to 12 guests (8 adult 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: Hot tub, sauna, outdoor bath, fire pit and river hammock
Huckleberry
Nevern Valley, Pembrokeshire, Wales, UK
Built from old stone and shaped by new hands, Huckleberry is a luxury country cottage with a hot tub and hammock, bringing Greek notions to the hills of Pembrokeshire, where city folk and foragers come to remember how life is supposed to be lived.
Sleeps: Up to 12 guests
From: £4,150 per week, £3,150 per short break
Alternative Group Option: Up to 8 guests
Pets: Two well-behaved dogs are welcome, or three on prior request
Features: Swedish wood-fired hot tub, luxury Thai massage room, TV snug, snooker table, outdoor kitchen, fire pit and river hammock
The Milk Wood
Nevern Valley, Pembrokeshire, Wales, UK
Deep within the Nevern Valley, there is an ancient sessile oak wood; and in the wood, there is a clearing; and in the clearing is a secret. A Welsh family estate comprised of four luxury country cottages, with a hot tub, sauna, and outdoor bath.
Sleeps: Up to 24 guests (20 adults and 4 children)
From: £7,600 per week, £5,745 per short break
Pets: Four well-behaved dogs are welcome
Features: Hot tub, luxury Thai massage room, sauna, TV snug, snooker table, outdoor kitchen, outdoor bath, fire pit, river hammock and sauna