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.
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
From: £1,895 per week, £1,395 per short break
Pets: One small well-behaved dog is welcome
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)
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
From: £1,995 per week, £1,595 per short break
Pets: Two well-behaved dogs over the age of 12 months are welcome
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
From: £2,150 per week, £1,595 per short break
Pets: Two well behaved small dogs are welcome
Features: Children´s play area with slide
Atticus
Burford, Oxfordshire, The Cotswolds, UK
Made of treacle-toned Cotswolds stone, with antique doors that hint at its history, Atticus is a luxury period townhouse at the end of a golden high street in Burford, Oxfordshire.
Sleeps: Up to 8 guests
From: £3,395 per week, £2,550 per short break
Pets: Two well-behaved dogs are welcome
Features: Baby Grand Piano and fire pit
The Knapp
Slad, Gloucestershire, The Cotswolds, UK
Settle yourself within the pages of Laurie Lee's Cider with Rosie at The Knapp, where the magic of a Slad Valley childhood meets the Cotswolds of the 21st century.
Sleeps: Up to 8 guests
Alternative Group Option: Up to 4 guests
From: £3,250 per week, £2,450 per short break
Pets: Two well-behaved dogs are welcome
Features: Cinema, games room and outdoor kitchen
Evania
Bentham, Cheltenham, Gloucestershire, The Cotswolds, UK
Inspired by the colours and countryside of the Mediterranean, this Gloucestershire home with heated outdoor swimming pool and hot tub, is the perfect family retreat.
Sleeps: Up to 10 guests
Alternative Group Option: Up to 6 & Up to 4 guests
From: £4,750 per week, £3,750 per short break
Pets: Two well-behaved dogs are welcome, or three on prior request
Features: Outdoor heated swimming pool (May - September), hot tub, outdoor kitchen area with built-in gas barbecue, games room with table football, pool table, table tennis and television
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
From: £15,895 per week, £11,950 per short break
Pets: Two dogs are welcome
Features: Trampoline, hot tub hire is available (please enquire for details)
The Palladian
Ampney Crucis, Cirencester, Gloucestershire, The Cotswolds, UK
Georgian in style and grand in nature, this self-catering Cotswold manor offers a true countryside escape perfect for multi-generational groups.
Sleeps: Up to 12 guests (6 adults and 6 children)
From: £4,550 per week, £3,295 per short break
Pets: Sorry, no pets
Features: Outdoor heated swimming pool and hot tub (both May - September), gym, tennis court, trampoline and small football pitch
The Aviary
Moreton-in-Marsh, Gloucestershire, The Cotswolds, UK
A luxury Cotswolds manor made from traditional stone, The Aviary is a farmhouse retreat in Moreton-in-Marsh with utterly chic interiors, a heated pool, and a highbrow tennis court.
Sleeps: Up to 12 guests (10 adults and 2 children)
From: £4,995 per week, £4,495 per short break
Pets: Two well-behaved dogs are welcome
Features: Outdoor heated swimming pool and hot tub (May - September), tennis court, cinema room and playing fields with football goals
Nocturne
Stow-on-the-Wold, Gloucestershire, The Cotswolds, UK
A period home with a movie room and hot tub in Stow-on-the-Wold, Nocturne is a tincture for the kinetic whirl of city life, a luxury Cotswolds townhouse with a story to tell.
Sleeps: Up to 12 guests
Alternative Group Option: Up to 8 guests
From: £3,550 per week, £2,650 per short break
Pets: Three well-behaved dogs are welcome
Features: William Holland hot tub, cinema room, games room
Anthology Farm
Cheltenham, Gloucestershire, The Cotswolds, UK
With an indoor pool, tennis court, and yoga studio, members-only health club Anthology Farm is a luxury country estate made for family gatherings near Cheltenham in the Cotswolds.
Sleeps: Up to 18 guests
Alternative Group Option: Up to 10 guests
From: £9,450 per week, £7,550 per short break
Pets: Pets are considered on prior agreement
Features: Heated indoor swimming pool, cinema room, tennis court, table tennis, gym equipment, purpose built yoga studio and electric car charging point
Gulliver´s Hall
Bisley, Stroud, Gloucestershire, The Cotswolds, UK
Playful, elegant, and ancestral, Gulliver's Hall is a luxury country manor in the beating heart of the Cotswolds; a family spa near Bisley with a heated pool, sauna, and tennis court.
Sleeps: Up to 21 guests
Alternative Group Option: Up to 15 & Up to 6 guests
From: £7,795 per week, £5,895 per short break
Pets: Two well-behaved dogs are welcome on prior request
Features: Outdoor heated swimming pool (April-October), sunken spa bath, sauna, steam room, outdoor shower, outdoor kitchen with pizza oven, paella burner, games and cinema room, tennis court, croquet lawn
The Marlings
Standish, Stroud, Gloucestershire, The Cotswolds, UK
Made up of five beautiful dwellings in Standish near Stroud, The Marlings is a luxury family resort in the Cotswolds with a heated pool, hot tub, playground, and tennis court.
Sleeps: Up to 25 guests (20 adults and 5 children)
Alternative Group Option: Up to 12 guests
From: £7,795 per week, £5,895 per short break
Pets: Three well-behaved dogs are welcome
Features: Heated outdoor pool (available April to October) with pool house, hot tub, tennis court, wooden playpark
