Usually, February, the month of love, is the perfect time for a countryside escape. When the buzz of the new year has worn off, all you want is time to unwind, slow down, reconnect with your partner and escape the routine of everyday life. For the team at 100 Acres, there is simply nowhere better to recharge than the British countryside: a sea of sprawling green space and fragrant fresh air. A place made for leisurely meadow strolls, romantic wild swims (provided you’ve got a hot bath to retreat back to), cosy candlelit suppers and lazy Sunday mornings in bed, covered in obligatory croissant crumbs. February equals romance, and romance equals the countryside. So, if there’s one thing we want this February, it’s a romantic weekend escape.
Yet this February, February 2021, a real-life romantic escape is not an option. However, even if you can’t escape to the countryside, you can bring the best of it to you. Here are a few of our favourite indulgent, romantic rituals that make a weekend away so special, all of which you can replicate at home.
A home-cooked, candlelit supper for two
In the countryside, there’s nearly always a handful of well-loved pubs within strolling distance, and although we yearn for a roast dinner by the pub fire, nothing says romance like a candlelit supper of fresh pasta, such as Skye McAlpine's tagliatelle with Gorgonzola, pear and walnut. Make it from scratch for a fun, joint evening activity, or order it to your door from a recipe box company such as Pasta Evangelists. Roughly set the table (we find rustic is always the most romantic), and scatter with our golden 100 Acres candles to fill the room with the warm, opulent scent of juicy orange, rich frankincense and spicy cinnamon. An indulgent, out-of-the-ordinary evening, all from within your own four walls.
Champagne-fuelled bubble baths
Another thing that a weekend in the countryside simply isn’t complete without? A bubble bath. Filled to the brim with steaming hot water and generous bubbles (courtesy of our luxurious bubble bath scented with rose and lavender), a long, leisurely soak is the mark of an excellent weekend away. Complete with a glass of Champagne too, light our signature candle, and let the exquisite scent transport you to a hundred rolling acres of the heavenly British countryside.
Create an at-home spa
Finally, a weekend escape, especially in a Unique Homestays property, is all about the little added extras. The cherry on top. So, post-bubble bath, treat each other to a relaxing, stress-relieving massage. Our exquisite bath and body oil is perfect for this with a blend of rich, silky plant oils, it glides effortlessly over the skin, nourishing with nutrient-dense plant ingredients. Infused with a fragrant botanical concoction of refreshing grapefruit, sweet ylang-ylang, bay and bergamot (to name a few), it’s a little slice of the wild countryside, bottled. Feel the tension in your muscles melt away, and let your mind escape to the green, freeing fields of the countryside (even if you’re actually lying on the same bed you’ve been in, non-stop, for the past year).
So, you really can indulge in the best of a romantic weekend in the countryside, all from your own home. But, that being said, our real-life escape certainly isn’t cancelled, merely postponed. As soon as we are able to escape, this is where we’ll be going.
Gwendolyn
This gorgeous Cornish retreat is at the top of our list as soon as we’re able to explore again. Cosy enough for two, but spacious enough that it feels luxurious, this is a homestay we certainly could imagine ourselves enjoying a candlelit dinner date. Perched above the sand-dunes of Perranporth beach, you’ll find us jumping in the sea for a romantic, wild winter swim, and running straight back up to the hot tub.
Romany
It doesn’t get more indulgent than a rolltop bath in the bedroom and, being surrounded by a luscious green oasis in this secret cabin, we would very happily lie in this glorious king-size bed all day. We’d then wander, croissant-drunk, to the gorgeously cosy kitchen to cook up a sublime al-fresco lunch (…or supper, I meant it when I said we’d lie in bed all day).
Inkwell Cottage
Based in 100 Acres' native, The Cotswolds, this cosy little nook is like the cottage from The Holiday, but better. We’re imagining curling up on the sofa, the log fire roaring in the corner, and getting lost in Notting Hill for the 27th time. Plus, there's a painting room, is there anything more romantic than attempting to paint each other (fully clothed, of course)?
