Newsletters

Happy Christmas & New Year 2020

As 2020 comes to an end, we wanted to take this opportunity to thank you for your support during this unpredictable year. It’s been a wild journey through unchartered waters, with lockdowns and travel restrictions hindering many of your holiday plans, but there is a beacon of light on the horizon and we look forward to hosting you for your 2021 escapes and beyond.

New property arrival - Castle on the Well

Combining over an acre of blooming gardens with fairytale castellations, mullioned windows and a breathtaking dome room, this home on the edge of Exmoor National Park is sure to see children tear around the grounds with shouts of flaming dragons and brave princesses. Inside fuses traditional hunting lodge charm with a modern country twist, while the North Devon coast is just a short drive away, promising long summer holidays by the sea.

Properties featured in this newsletter: Castle on the Well

New property arrival - Iraia

Seemingly floating above the sea on Seaton Beach, Iraia and its cool, silvery accoya exterior blends into the landscape as though it was born of the smoky shingles themselves.

Less is more

If there´s one thing we can thank 2020 for, it´s for slowing us down and reminding us what matters. For emptying our social calendars and showing us that distanced doorstep cups of tea with those we love can be special beyond belief. This Christmas season will, of course, be so very different to the sparkling nights we are used to, but for every work party missed will be a mulled wine shared in the garden or muddy puddle ramble, meaning more to us than those fizzy nights in bars ever could.

New property arrivals - Ivy Cove and Cabin Tapio

Winding up a year where an extraordinary amount of time has been spent indoors, our two latest arrivals could not have landed at a better time. An ode to all things organic, these are spaces where country air rolls through the windows, interior design mirrors the curves of the surf and close encounters with wildlife takes no more effort than stepping out of the front door.

Properties featured in this newsletter: Ivy Cove, Tilda

New property arrival - Old Cornish Manor

With the current amplified demand in staycations, the team at Unique Homestays have devised a means of fulfilling the demands of our corporate clients. Introducing Old Cornish Manor, a fusion of pared-back interiors with a rustic finish offering a blank canvas for storytellers and creatives to utilise as a striking backdrop for photoshoots, filming and product launches.

Properties featured in this newsletter: Photoshoots at Coswarth

New property arrival - Alba Beach House

Awash with weathered nautical regalia and dotted with sink-into leather chairs which tempt long mornings looking out to sea, this pink cob cottage soothes the soul. Bleached summer mornings and whiplashed winter storms are when this cottage really comes into its own, but the peace of St Ives in the shoulder seasons offers its own unique magic.

Properties featured in this newsletter: Alba Beach House

New property arrival - The Fourth Wall

Travel back to Victorian London during a visit to this extraordinary city pad: a wonderland of plush velvets, eclectic furnishings and splashes of Moroccan and Turkish style.

Fantastical follies

Back when landscape design was dominated by the heart-over-head principles of Romanticism, country houses often featured eye-catching follies within their rambling grounds. Now that the staycation industry is booming, homeowners are once again becoming creative with their estates. From ornate waterside dwellings to forgotten farm buildings reimagined, the folly is making a comeback.

Properties featured in this newsletter: Dragonwood Boat House, Thornemead Castle, Rhapsody, The Walled Garden, Viola

New property arrival - Smokehouse Cottage

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 refuge hideaway; think painted stone walls, oak floorboards and wrought iron beds overlooking the shifting tides on St Bride´s Bay below.

Properties featured in this newsletter: Smokehouse Cottage

New property arrival - In Clover

A luxurious take on the bucolic country retreat, this sumptuous home invites families to sink into a wood-fired hot tub under the moon and unfurl within its golden stone walls. Think Soho Home furnishings and stacks of vintage vinyl awaiting its turn after a prelude from the crackling open fire. With sleeps-six options in for Autumn, In Clover joins the collection just in time for an Indian summer.

New property arrival - The Walled Garden

Starting life as the potato store within the kitchen gardens of Dyrham Park, this luxury retreat now invites guests to enjoy enchanting walled gardens and minimalistic modern interiors. A Gothic garden door opens out to Wonderland where guests can sip cocktails beside the ornamental Victorian pool or sunbathe on the river´s edge.

Properties featured in this newsletter: The Walled Garden

New Property Arrival - Over Lemon River

Situated along the River Lemon, this romantic hideaway is a place where lovers and their four-legged friends can enjoy whilst the world wonders into insignificance.

Properties featured in this newsletter: Over Lemon River

Understated Luxury

When we look back to Summer 2020, we will always remember the time we savoured the smallest of luxuries; home-grown flowers, Glastonbury re-runs on the radio, windswept walks on empty beaches - but the luxury of clean, simple living will perhaps be the most precious of them all.

New Property Arrival - The Lost Music Hall

Located in The South Hams, this private wing of a grand Georgian manor was designed with entertaining in mind. Pared-back in style but nonetheless luxurious, The Lost Music Hall lends something for everyone to enjoy.

Properties featured in this newsletter: The Lost Music Hall

New Property Arrivals - Villa Boden and The Old Beach Stores

At a time when coastal escapes have never felt more like a wellbeing essential, we welcome two new beachside boltholes to our collection.

Properties featured in this newsletter: Villa Boden

New Property Arrival - Little Red Lock

Filled to the beams with eccentricity and encircled by a wooden picket fence, Little Red Lock is a quintessential storybook hideaway. From the buttoned chesterfields to the clotted cream coloured Aga, English country charm oozes from inside its red brick walls. After exploring the Cotswolds market towns nearby, this secluded canal-side haven is the perfect place to wind down; enjoy twilight cruises on the kayaks and Autumn evenings by the fire.

Properties featured in this newsletter: Little Red Lock

Unique Folk

If there is one thing the crisis has taught us it is that we are all in this together. As we safely reopen our doors and welcome you back into our homes, we reflect on the incredible community spirit we have experienced over the last three months. Your support has inspired us to introduce a new way of rewarding loyalty in our Unique Folk Programme.

New Property Arrival - Ukiyo

Urban modernity flirts with the elements at this sustainable luxury retreat on the untamed Lizard Peninsula. Ukiyo is a nod to the modern Scandinavian summerhouse, clad in silvering Siberian larch wood which seemingly melts into the ocean setting. Its name derives from Japanese culture and translates to ‘the floating world’, a blissful state of detachment from the bothers of everyday life.

New Property Arrival - Barton Blanc

Hidden at the end of a sweeping drive within 33 acres encircled by bluebell woods, this sprawling country manor is a secluded haven in the heart of rural Devon. Checker-board tiled floors and decorative plaster ceilings hint at the age of this history-rich home, where modern luxuries meet monastic simplicity.

New Property Arrival - Sienna

Set in a spellbinding slice of the Wild Atlantic Way, in the charming town of Kenmare, Sienna takes its name from the rich colours of the surrounding landscape.

Properties featured in this newsletter: Sienna

For lovers

With many soon-to-be-married couples weighing up their options amid ongoing restrictions on social gatherings and overseas travel, this month on the journal we look at the honeymoon through time, and present alternatives for cancelled celebrations. On the topic of couples´ escapes, here we also unveil our latest arrival.

Properties featured in this newsletter: The Meadows

New Property Arrival - Roscoe

Sitting pretty in 13 acres of wildflower meadows, latest arrival Roscoe is a fusion of wood, glass and stone. Encapsulating all the essential elements for a luxury self-catering escape and within two hours of London.

New Property Arrival - Fawn Wood

Starting life from humble beginnings, this historic homestay has a treasure trove of enchanted stories and romantic entanglements. Hidden on the cusp of Winnie-the-Pooh´s Ashdown Forest, Fawn Wood invites families to enjoy a luxury country house retreat.

Properties featured in this newsletter: Fawn Wood

Britain in bloom

The theme for this month was always intended to be ‘Britain in bloom’, but perhaps now it’s more poignant than we ever imagined. The human world may well have come to a standstill but, amid travel bans and isolation orders, mother nature continues in all her beauty. Here we bring you Britain’s most enchanted garden escapes.

Properties featured in this newsletter: Rhapsody, The Sculptor´s Gardens

Estate of mind

A century ago, it was the Roaring Twenties; a time of social highlife and surging economy. 2020 may have started on the contrary, but that shouldn´t stop us from aspiring. Our inaugural property arrivals for the decade couldn´t be more apt for when the travel ban has been lifted.

Properties featured in this newsletter: The Find, Wool Merchant´s House, Cadence, Atelier Rose

Natural Selection

Great Britain and Ireland: not the first islands that come to mind when we think of indoor-outdoor living. That said, you’ll be hard pushed to find a nation more willing to take on the elements for a bracing hike or dog walk. As a new generation of architects put the environment at the heart of their projects, weaving buildings into the natural surroundings and crafting furnishings from organic materials, this month we showcase homes that embrace the living world.

Properties featured in this newsletter: Skyros, Elemental

Wonder Women

If you know anything about Unique Homestays, you’ll know that spirited, creative women are at the core of our business. Next summer will mark 20 years since Sarah Stanley founded Unique Homestays, still remaining the sole director today with the help of a growing team of wonder women (and men!).

Green Love

The colour of love turns green this February as we celebrate the rise of the eco wedding. Over on the journal we talk organic food, British bubbles and paperless post, showing how soon-to-be brides and grooms can consider the planet without sacrificing the vision of a beautifully designed luxury wedding.

Properties featured in this newsletter: Weddings at The Stack

A Wild Romance

For us, Valentine´s weekend doesn´t call for flowers and chocolates - they should be part of every day. Instead, we crave for spontaneity, reconnection and rekindling of that special spark too often only associated with the honeymoon spell. With a full weekend put aside for the celebrations this year, whisk your loved one away to one of our luxury love nests, sure to set the tone for a wildly romantic escape.

Properties featured in this newsletter: Juneberry, Romany, The Beach Shack

Wellness Breaks for 2020

The new year lends a perfect excuse to indulge in a little ‘you’ time. We’ve teamed up with Whitecalm, the retreat provider with the leading edge, to offer bespoke healthy holidays in select homestays throughout our collection. From yoga and meditation to personalised programmes matched to your DNA – you can choose a wellbeing experience as spiritual or scientific as you wish.

Properties featured in this newsletter: Anthology Farm