Luxury May half term breaks
May marks the turning point when spring gives way to summer across the UK and Ireland. Later sunsets bring longer days, whilst the countryside erupts into colour and birdsong. Our luxury May half term breaks are designed for making the most of precious family time.
The Hide
Callestick, Perranporth, Cornwall, UK
An unexpected discovery at the end of a Cornish country lane, this modern luxury cottage hideaway near Perranporth beach combines rusticity with contemporary clean-line appeal.
Sleeps: Up to 2 guests
Pets: Two well-behaved dogs are welcome, or three on prior request
Features: Hot tub, fire pit, yoga deck with mats
Wishbone
Malvern, Malvern Hills, Worcestershire, UK
Tranquillity and romance unfold in the heart of the Malvern Hills at this rough-luxe self-catering barn conversion set in 16 acres of National Landscape – perfect for couples wanting to go off the radar into their own little paradisiacal land.
Sleeps: Up to 2 guests
Pets: Sorry, no pets
Features: Fishing lake and fire pit
Little Inka
St Breward, Bodmin Moor, Cornwall, UK
Hidden on the northern edge of Bodmin Moor, Little Inka's hot tub, roll top and king-size bed beneath a window looking up to the stars make this secluded escape the perfect couples' retreat.
Sleeps: Up to 2 guests
Pets: Sorry, no pets
Features: Hot tub and fire pit
Muse
Crowcombe, The Quantock Hills, Somerset, UK
Near Somerset´s Quantock Hills National Landscape, this studio-like hideaway invites couples or solo travellers to unwind amid art-filled interiors and 42 acres of Arcadian countryside.
Sleeps: Up to 2 guests
Pets: Sorry, no pets allowed
Features: Outdoor bath tub
Aurora
Freathy, Whitsand Bay, Cornwall, UK
Positioned to face the sun as it journeys from day to night, Aurora, with it's far-reaching views and al fresco hot tub, sits high above Freathy Beach at Whitsand Bay.
Sleeps: Up to 2 guests
Pets: Sorry, no pets
Features: Hot tub
The Studio
Upper Slaughter, Gloucestershire, The Cotswolds, UK
In the heart of Upper Slaughter, one of England’s “doubly-thankful” villages, The Studio is a luxury Cotswolds barn that wouldn’t be out of place in New York's artsy Tribeca.
Sleeps: Up to 2 guests
Pets: Sorry, no pets
Features: Pizza oven, fire pits
Aphrodite
Trevalga, Boscastle, Cornwall, UK
Found between the popular villages of Boscastle and Tintagel, Aphrodite is a luxury coastal home in North Cornwall; flaunting magnificent sea views across five renovated stories.
Sleeps: Up to 2 guests
Pets: Two well-behaved dogs are welcome, or three on prior request
The Outpost
Reached by a private bridge, this frontier-style cabin on the edge of Eryri (Snowdonia) National Park invites couples to recline in a hot tub under the stars, and recharge under a canopy of trees.
Sleeps: Up to 2 guests
Pets: Two small or medium dogs are welcome
Features: Woodfired hot tub and fire pit
Figgy Court
Billingshurst, West Sussex, UK
A 700-year-old grain barn in West Sussex, Figgy Court is a luxury couples’ retreat with a riverside hot tub that affords a slice of country living on modern terms in Billingshurst.
Sleeps: Up to 2 guests
Pets: Two well-behaved dogs are welcome
Features: Hot tub
Over Lemon River
Ashburton, Dartmoor, Devon, UK
A light-filled, luxury cottage near Ashburton on heather-cloaked Dartmoor, Over Lemon River is a couples' hideaway with a woodfired hot tub and fire pit in Devon’s wild heart.
Sleeps: Up to 2 guests
Pets: Two well-behaved dogs are welcome
Features: Al fresco living space with wood-fired hot tub and fire pit
Ebony Wood
Dark, mysterious and ever-so romantic, Ebony Wood on the edge of Eryri (Snowdonia) National Park is an atmospheric couples’ escape surrounded by sweet scented pines and rustling hedgehogs.
Sleeps: Up to 2 guests
Pets: Two well-behaved dogs are welcome
Features: Hot tub, infrared sauna, yoga deck, outside shower and outdoor food prep area and sink
Pepper Shack
Lymington, New Forest, Hampshire, UK
A luxury cabin that feels like a winter cave, Pepper Shack is a moody home with a hot tub, pizza oven, and couples' bikes, made for romantic stays near the New Forest in Hampshire.
Sleeps: Up to 2 guests (+1)
Pets: Two well-behaved dogs are welcome
Features: Sauna, hot tub, Kadai fire pit, outdoor pizza oven and two cruiser bikes
Firefly
Trebudannon, Mawgan Porth, Cornwall, UK
Made for couples and nomadic types, Firefly is a luxury woodcutter's cottage with a hot tub near Mawgan Porth in North Cornwall, bursting with earthy, back-to-nature appeal.
Sleeps: Up to 2 guests
Pets: Two well-behaved dogs are welcome, or three on prior request
Features: Hot tub
Juneberry
Cubert, Holywell Bay, Cornwall, UK
Tucked away between the trees on Cornwall’s north coast near Holywell Bay, Juneberry is a luxury self-catering cabin settled in the quiet idyll of rural bliss.
Sleeps: Up to 2 guests
Pets: One medium or two small well-behaved dogs are welcome
Features: Yoga deck with mats and blocks, heated outdoor shower, firepit
Dragonwood Boat House
A unique, romantic space Dragonwood Boat House is a traditional Victorian home with an Italian twist, sitting pretty on the water near Oakham in Rutland.
Sleeps: Up to 2 guests
Pets: Sorry, no pets
Features: Kayaks, well-stocked fishing lakes
Hinterland Cabin
With views of the Conwy Valley, Hinterland Cabin is a luxury log home with a hot tub, sauna, and yoga deck bordering Eryri (Snowdonia) National Park in Wales, enveloped by big skies and wild mountains.
Sleeps: Up to 2 guests
Pets: Two medium well-behaved dogs are welcome
Features: Hot tub, sauna and yoga deck
Four Hundred Summers
Ablington, Bibury, Gloucestershire, The Cotswolds, UK
With an ashlar chimney that sends smoke signals curling above the gable roof, Four Hundred Summer is a luxury Cotswolds cottage with a hot tub that brings Nordic clout to Ablington.
Sleeps: Up to 2 guests
Pets: Sorry, no pets
Features: Wood-fired hot tub
Idlewylde
Machynlleth, Snowdonia, Wales, UK
From the sweet seclusion to mountain vistas, hot tub to glittering skies uninterrupted by city lights, Idlewylde is an impossibly romantic escape for couples in North Wales.
Sleeps: Up to 2 guests
Pets: Two well-behaved dogs are welcome, or three on prior request
Features: Hot tub
The Limit
As seen on ITV's Cornwall with Caroline Quentin and George Clarke's Amazing Spaces, The Limit is an iconic luxury beach hut with a hot tub hiding in the sand dunes of Holywell Bay.
Sleeps: Up to 2 guests
Pets: Two well-behaved dogs are welcome
Features: Hot tub and fire pit
Tilda
Fordingbridge, New Forest, Hampshire, UK
Woodland hideaway meets minimalist design at Tilda. Here, the gentle trickle of the River Allen and splash of jumping blue trout wash away any remnants of city living.
Sleeps: Up to 2 guests
Pets: One dog is very welcome, two well-behaved dogs on request.
Features: Hot tub and fire pit
Windfall
Black Mountains, Herefordshire, UK
On the Welsh border in Herefordshire, a Victorian cider mill has been reborn as a rural escape. In Dark Sky territory, this rustic retreat promises Swedish tub soaks under infinite stars.
Sleeps: Up to 2 guests
Pets: Two well-behaved dogs are welcome
Features: Fire pit, Swedish wood-fired tub
The Cotton Tree
Tresean, Holywell Bay, Cornwall, UK
A luxury cottage inspired by tropical beach houses and barefoot living, this is The Cotton Tree; a hot tub hideout on the coast of Cornwall, close to Holywell Bay and Polly Joke.
Sleeps: Up to 2 guests (+1)
Pets: Two well-behaved dogs are welcome, or three on prior request
Features: Hot tub
Little Portion
Tresean, Holywell Bay, Cornwall, UK
Crooked and quaint, and full of reclaimed finishes and trailing plants, Little Portion is a luxury coastal cottage with a hot tub just one mile away from Cornwall's Holywell Bay,
Sleeps: Up to 2 guests
Pets: Two well-behaved dogs are welcome, or three on prior request
Features: Hot tub
Inkwell Cottage
Burford, Oxfordshire, The Cotswolds, UK
Handcrafted, atelier in style and ever-so fun, this self-catering home in Burford is a pocketful of luxury throwing all conventionality out of its mullion window
Sleeps: Up to 2 guests
Pets: One small well-behaved dog is welcome
Features: Artist studio
The Black Cabin
Idyllically set near Hay-on-Wye and overlooking the majestic Black Mountains, this noir-hued cabin offers a wood-fired hot tub, infrared sauna and views for miles.
Sleeps: Up to two guests
Pets: Two well-behaved dogs are welcome
Features: Outdoor kitchen, outdoor woodfired hot tub, indoor infrared sauna and cold plunge tub
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 4 guests (+2)
Alternative Group Option: Up to 2 guests
Pets: Two well behaved dogs are welcome
Features: William Holland spa bath, outdoor kitchen and fishing is available
The Sorting Office
Fordingbridge, New Forest, Hampshire, UK
A gingerbread house with thatched roof set on the fringes of the New Forest which, from the outside, could very easily have been plucked from the pages of Hansel and Gretel.
Sleeps: Up to 4 guests
Alternative Group Option: Up to 2 guests
Pets: One small well-behaved dog is welcome on prior request
Morse
St Levan, Porthcurno, Cornwall, UK
A WWII communications bunker set between countryside and coast, Morse has been thoughtfully converted by its architect owner, offering a luxurious yet brutalist reimagining of this piece of British wartime history.
Sleeps: Up to 4 guests
Alternative Group Option: Up to 2 guests
Pets: Two well-behaved dogs are welcome
Features: Hot tub
Tincture
Llanwrtyd Wells, Cambrian Mountains, Powys, Wales, UK
A luxury off-grid cottage in Llanwrtyd, Tincture rides on the tides of nature in the heart of Wales' wild and little-discovered Cambrian Mountains; a fairy-tale home with an edge.
Sleeps: Up to 4 guests
Alternative Group Option: Up to 2 guests
Pets: Two well-behaved dogs are welcome
Kailani
It’s all whitewashed and welcoming, folded linens and old maps at Kailani; a luxury cottage with a William Holland tub and ocean views in Cornwall's delightful fishing village of Mousehole.
Sleeps: Up to 4 guests
Alternative Group Option: Up to 2 guests
Pets: One well-behaved dog is welcome
Features: William Holland spa bath
The Spyglass
An authentic maritime build in Cornwall, right on the seafront and with access to the beach, The Spyglass is a luxury beach cottage; and one of Gorran Haven’s most beloved homes.
Sleeps: Up to 4 guests
Alternative Group Option: Up to 2 guests
Pets: Two medium well-behaved dogs are welcome
The Flower Press
Bibury, Gloucestershire, The Cotswolds, UK
Emerald green in spring, fire red in autumn; luxury cottage The Flower Press is a French countryside-inspired home and garden in the quintessentially Cotswolds village of Bibury.
Sleeps: Up to 4 guests
Alternative Group Option: Up to 2 guests
Pets: Two well-behaved dogs of small or medium sized breeds over the age of 12 months are welcome
The Walled Garden
Dyrham, Bath, The Cotswolds, UK
Perhaps the most ornate vegetable store in all of England, The Walled Garden began life as a potato house for Dyrham Park in Bath before becoming a luxury Cotswolds garden stay.
Sleeps: Up to 4 guests
Alternative Group Option: Up to 2 guests
Pets: One small well-behaved dog is welcome, or two on prior request
Features: Fire pit, use of the owners´ tennis court and use of the owners´ natural outdoor pool (pool available between 8am and midday, outside of these times available on prior agreement)
Eirianfa
Llanbedr-Dyffryn-Clwyd, Ruthin, Wales, UK
Cradled within a peaceful valley near Ruthin, this heart-stirring luxury cottage in Denbighshire boasts a games room with hot tub and a private lake, all set within 17 acres in North Wales.
Sleeps: Up to 4 guests
Alternative Group Option: Up to 2 guests
Pets: One medium or two small well-behaved dogs are welcome on prior request
Features: Hot tub, bar, 50" TV, pool table, private lake
The Summer Folly
Grimsthorpe, Bourne, Lincolnshire, UK
The final creation of architect Sir John Vanbrugh in the 1720s (who also built Blenheim Castle), The Summer Folly is a whimsical retreat in rural Lincolnshire.
Sleeps: Up to 4 guests
Alternative Group Option: Up to 2 guests
Pets: Two well-behaved dogs are welcome
Features: Cinema snug, petanque lawn, croquet, badminton
Mirana
Constantine, Helford, Cornwall, UK
Cornish stone embraces modernist glass at this converted barn on the Helford; a tranquil retreat where luxury is defined by simplicity and connection to the landscape.
Sleeps: Up to 4 guests
Alternative Group Option: Up to 2 guests
Pets: Sorry, no pets
Features: Outdoor natural swimming pond, wood-fired hot tub and a sauna
Little Red Lock
Claydon, Banbury, Oxfordshire, UK
A luxury country home on England's finest waterway, Little Red Lock is perched on the Oxford Canal and reachable by narrowboat; a place for firepit s'mores and fizz in the hot tub.
Sleeps: Up to 6 guests
Alternative Group Option: Up to 4 & Up to 2 guests
Pets: Two well-behaved dogs are welcome
Features: Hot tub, fire pit, kayaks with life jackets for the canal
Penny Black
North Bovey, Dartmoor, Devon, UK
A luxury thatched cottage with a hot tub in North Bovey, one of Devon's most idyllic Dartmoor villages, Penny Black Cottage is the type of home you might find in the pages of a storybook.
Sleeps: Up to 6 guests
Alternative Group Option: Up to 4 & Up to 2 guests
Pets: Two well-behaved dogs are welcome, or three on prior request.
Features: Hot tub
Elberta Barn
Wakes Colne, Colchester, Essex, UK
The luxury country home of a curator turned landscape designer, formerly an 18th century threshing barn, Elberta Barn is an artsy space in Wakes Colne near the Suffolk border.
Sleeps: Up to 6 guests
Alternative Group Option: Up to 4 guests
Pets: One small or medium-sized dog are considered on prior agreement
Gwendolyn
Nestled above the sand dunes of Perranporth Beach, Gwendolyn is a luxury coastal cottage with hot tub and far-reaching sea views in North Cornwall, where troves of rustic riches hide.
Sleeps: Up to 6 guests
Alternative Group Option: Up to 4 & Up to 2 guests
Pets: Two well-behaved dogs are welcome, or three on prior request
Features: Hot tub, al fresco BBQ area
Novella
This cob cottage deep in Devon's woodland is a storybook home; tucked down a lane, decked in antique furnishings, Novella is a luxury chapel conversion with a hot tub in Braunton.
Sleeps: Up to 6 guests
Alternative Group Option: Up to 4 & Up to 2 guests
Pets: Two well-behaved dogs are welcome
Features: Hot tub, trampoline, outdoor kitchen (year-round)
Nevada
An award-winning copper-clad home in Cornwall's wild west, this waterside residence occupies an enviable location on the Drift Reservoir.
Sleeps: Up to 6 guests
Alternative Group Option: Up to 2 guests
Pets: Two well-behaved dogs are welcome
Features: Hot tub
The Ruby Barn
Sandford St Martin, Chipping Norton, Oxfordshire, The Cotswolds, UK
Bringing a touch of Californian chicness to the Oxfordshire countryside, this luxury Cotswold stone barn conversion has been fashioned with soul.
Sleeps: Up to 6 guests
Alternative Group Option: Up to 2 guests
Pets: Two well behaved small dogs are welcome
Features: Children´s play area with slide
Smokehouse Cottage
Newgale, Pembrokeshire, Wales, UK
A white stone dot tucked under the hills, Smokehouse Cottage is part of Wales' wild magic on the Pembrokeshire Coast; a luxury fisherman’s cottage with a hot tub ideal for surfers.
Sleeps: Up to 6 guests
Alternative Group Option: Up to 4 & Up to 2 guests
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
Morwell
Calstock, Tamar Valley, Cornwall, UK
Tenderly cosseted by the arms of the Tamar Valley AONB, this stylish luxury self-catering farmhouse with natural outdoor swimming pool enjoys 1.5 miles of private river frontage.
Sleeps: Up to 8 guests
Alternative Group Option: Up to 4 guests
Pets: Sorry, no pets
Features: Table tennis, natural outdoor swimming pool (May - September).
Wildwood Holt
St Martin, Helford, Cornwall, UK
In the verdant Helford, Wildwood Holt is a luxury woodland cottage in Cornwall close to the sands of Kynance Cove and the fishing villages of Coverack and Cadgwith.
Sleeps: Up to 8 guests
Alternative Group Option: Up to 6 & Up to 4 guests
Pets: Two well-behaved dogs are welcome, or three on prior request
Old Pine
Charred timber and soft interiors frame sweeping ocean views from this modern coastal sanctuary in Coverack. This luxury retreat in Cornwall features a hot tub, yoga room and terraced gardens above the rare Moho geological boundary.
Sleeps: Up to eight guests
Alternative Group Option: Up to 4 guests
Pets: Yes, two dogs are very welcome
Features: Hot tub and cinema room
The Viewing Gallery
A place to experience life on the ocean wave without leaving the living room, The Viewing Gallery is a luxury beach house with a hot tub and wraparound deck in Portreath, Cornwall.
Sleeps: Up to 8 guests
Alternative Group Option: Up to 4 & Up to 2 guests
Pets: Two well-behaved dogs are welcome
Features: Hot tub
The Find
Cranham, Cheltenham, Gloucestershire, The Cotswolds, UK
A dynamic pairing of luxury Cotswolds homes in Cranham, The Find is an old stone cottage and architect-designed glass extension in a beautifully secluded valley near Cheltenham.
Sleeps: Up to 12 guests
Pets: Two dogs are welcome
Features: Trampoline, hot tub hire is available (please enquire for details)
Isolde
Lanivet, Bodmin Moor, Cornwall, UK
This vibrant, artistic manor in Cornwall blends historic character with modern luxuries, including a cinema snug, games room, sauna, heated pool and hot tub.
Sleeps: Up to 12 guests
Alternative Group Option: Up to 8 guests
Pets: Yes, two dogs (over the age of six months) are very welcome
Features: Outdoor heated swimming pool (available May - September inclusive), hot tub, sauna, cinema room with projector and a games room with table tennis and pool table
Saxon
Maugersbury, Stow-on-the-Wold, Gloucestershire, The Cotswolds, UK
Over a thousand years of history have unfolded between the walls of this elegant manor. Today, Saxon offers a serene escape near Stow-on-the-Wold in the Cotswolds.
Sleeps: Up to 12 guests
Pets: One small to medium dog is welcome
Features: Hot tub, cinema snug with projector and games room
