You may have rushed in, but you’ll float out. It’s the travel era we’ve all been waiting for: new-wave well-being, deliberately unconventional wellness escapes that see your hot tubs and raise you eco-ponds, floating glass meditation rooms, surf hotspots within stone's throw, and garden pizza parlours. We know that well-being isn’t a one-size-fits-all concept, so whether rejuvenation looks like a private yoga class, guided forest-bathing, or simply spying peregrines in a back-to-nature country wilderness retreat, we want to show you what an intentional wellness escape with Unique Homestays can look like.
Senara: the surfer’s haven
Senara is what happens when a Colorado ranch, a surfer’s private estate, and an a-frame glasshouse combine, creating a laid-back beach house that oozes contemporary style. At this architecture-led retreat on a wild stretch of North Cornwall's coastline, the outdoor pool is heated from May to September, while the hot tub, fire pit, and Scandinavian sauna give the gardens year-round appeal. Inside, there’s crackling fires, circular bathtubs, hallways lined with competition-winning surfboards, and glass walls that make Gwithian’s rolling dunes and hazy sea part of the interior.
Come here for: a luxury surfing holiday
Gulliver’s Hall: the spa manor
A characterful Cotswolds manor met a Kandinsky colour scheme and the rest, they say, is history. At Gulliver’s Hall, there are as many surprises as there are higgle-piggle stones; an outdoor kitchen with pizza oven, a paella burner, and tennis court to name just a few. Among 320 acres of bluebell fields and peregrine hideouts, there’s an outdoor pool that’s heated from April to October and a sunken hot tub that could have been pulled from the Roman baths. The only place we know where gothic four-posters and modern ash-clad saunas live under the same roof, this luxury Cotwolds farmhouse is one of the county’s most eligible manors.
Come here for: a flamboyant country house break
Rhapsody: the rock’n’roll health club
A Tudor country home where British rockers Genesis, The Police, and Queen have performed flowerbed-raising garden concerts, Rhapsody balances cool clubhouse vibes with country character. Among manicured lawns and sculpture gardens, there’s glass-like heated pools, a private yoga studio nestled in the wilderness, and a fire-warmed glass meditation room that overhangs a crayfish pond. The home of a polo player, with the memorabilia to prove it, Rhapsody is a place where you’ll picnic among the wildflowers, row across the lake to the hobbit-style grill house, and mix up cocktails in the Moroccan pool house.
Come here for: a group getaway close to London
