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.
Mulberry Mill
Billingshurst, West Sussex, UK
There’s something special about Mulberry Mill; a luxury country home on the River Arun that's close to the South Downs in West Sussex, on the edge of Billingshurst.
Sleeps: Up to 6 guests
Alternative Group Option: Up to 4 guests
From: £1,950 per week, £1,450 per short break
Pets: Two pets are welcome
Features: Canoes for the river, football table, fishing is available year round outside of April and May
Fawn Wood
Hartfield, High Weald, East Sussex, UK
With its own heated pool, Fawn Wood is a luxury retreat in High Weald that started life as a granary, hiding in a sylvan setting on the edge of the Ashdown Forest in East Sussex.
Sleeps: 6 (+2) guests
Alternative Group Option: Up to 4 guests
From: £3,295 per week, £2,495 per short break
Pets: Two dogs are welcome
Features: Small-scale outdoor heated pool (available May - September inclusive), professional Trackman golf simulator and SimWay Hunt Pro shooting simulator (advance booking required, incurs an additional cost), Big Green Egg barbeque and outdoor pizza oven.
The Gallerist
Haywards Heath, West Sussex, UK
A former brewery, The Gallerist is a luxury country house with a cool streak, where a cinema room and pool call seekers of laissez-faire living to Haywards Heath in West Sussex.
Sleeps: Up to 8 guests
Alternative Group Option: Up to 4 guests
From: £4,950 per week, £3,750 per short break
Pets: Two well-behaved dogs are welcome
Features: Outdoor heated swimming pool (available April - October), woodfired hot tub, tennis court, and cinema room
Mill of Arun
Billingshurst, West Sussex, UK
With a tranquil spot on the River Arun, Mill of Arun is a luxury country home with a hot tub and kayaks in West Sussex; a magical four-story space for families near Billingshurst.
Sleeps: Up to 8 guests
From: £3,195 per week, £2,495 per short break
Pets: Two well-behaved dogs are welcome
Features: Hot tub, two kayaks for the river, table football in the games room, fishing is available year round outside of April and May
Roserai
A stately house in its own lush grounds with little luxuries inside and out that every weekender wishes for, this is one dream home that guests won't ever want to leave.
Sleeps: Up to 8 guests
Alternative Group Option: Up to 4 guests
From: £3,995 per week, £2,995 per short break
Pets: Two small well-behaved dogs or one large dog welcome on prior request
Features: Heated swimming pool (available May-September), hot tub, sauna, steam room and pool house
Cadence
A 1970s sci-fi film was the unlikely inspiration for architect-owned retreat Cadence; an award-winning luxury country house in pretty Petworth, on West Sussex's poetic South Downs.
Sleeps: Up to 10 guests
From: £5,495 per week
Pets: Two well-behaved pets are welcome
Studio Fold
Nutbourne, Pulborough, West Sussex, UK
Modern design and eco creds have seen former water pumping station Studio Fold in Pulborough's sought-after village of Nutbourne transform into an award-winning West Sussex home.
Sleeps: Up to 10 guests
Alternative Group Option: Up to 6 guests
From: £2,595 per week, £1,950 per short break
Pets: Two well-behaved dogs are welcome
Features: Pool table and cinema room
The Art House
Sutton, Pulborough, West Sussex, UK
An idyllic retreat and chef's favourite, The Art House is a luxury country home in the village of Sutton in West Sussex; complete with a pool, tennis court and wild swimming lake.
Sleeps: Up to 12 guests
From: £10,495 per week
Pets: One well-behaved dog is welcome
Features: 17-metre heated outdoor swimming pool (June - September), sauna, 50-metre wild swimming lake with jetty, tennis court, air hockey, pool table and fire pit
Ariabelle
Iping, Midhurst, West Sussex, UK
Found at the end of a sweeping drive, Ariabelle is the ultimate luxury country house, affording a spa-like stay with a lavish indoor pool in West Sussex's glorious South Downs.
Sleeps: Up to 14 guests
From: £18,395 per week, £15,450 per short break
Pets: Pets are considered on prior agreement
Features: Indoor heated swimming pool, hot tub, tennis court, steam room and sauna, gym and bar
