Sometimes, it takes a little reminding to know that these are the good old days. So, before life gets in the way, while there’s still tea in the pot and piles of custard creams to fuel the search, take inspiration from our pick of 10 places to stay in the UK and Ireland in 2024. Might we scurry through the golden streets of The Cotswolds, cotton totes bulging with little victuals from grocers and piemakers? Hole up in a Wales' wildflower meadows? Paddle out from Cornwall's deserted beaches? This year's travel plans are at our fingertips.
Where to stay in Ireland
Wild loop trails dotted with glinting lakes, pubs spilling out sounds of accordions and tin whistles, and emerald pasturelands as far as the eye can see; our luxury homes in Ireland are places to sustain toe-tapping travellers’ tales for many moons to come.
Limehouse Cottage in County Kerry
A basecamp at the foot of Macgillycuddy's Reeks and steps from Coomasaharn Lake, this trad modernised cottage has something of the Spanish isles and Moroccan hills wrapped up in its weather-beaten walls.
Walden Lakehouse in County Westmeath
Thoreau said it best: “I never found the companion that was so companionable as solitude.” Tucked away on a secret spot on Ireland’s longest river, this lake house has retro insides to sweeten the quietude of life in the woods.
Luxury homes in Scotland
Some places are made for the wild and free. In a country where mists rise off the lochs, and all about are opportunities to embrace the ancient ways of the Scots, our luxury homes in Scotland can be found where heather blooms and whisky flows.
A Scots sanctuary with Nordic spa decadence, this architectural retreat celebrates cosy functionality while staying true to its modernist bones, and all on the doorstep of one of Britain's greatest pilgrimages.
Little Eden in Loch Lomond
An impossibly secluded spot on the bonny, bonny banks of Loch Lomond, which hides amongst a broccoli floret of foliage, this creeper-clad cottage has the West Highland Way on the front door and red squirrels in the yard.
Luxury homes in Wales
Salt marshes where dogs chase migratory birds, Iron Age hill forts that turn children to knights and nobles, and cloud-touching mountains shrouded in Arthurian legends; our luxury homes in Wales’ wildest territories raise the bar for adventurous family holidays and romantic breaks.
A kaleidoscopalal constant in the Welsh hills, this artsy family home on the Afon Roe is a place where Renaissance portraits hang beside golden dachshunds, and the bar cart is always stocked with botanical gin.
This cabin in Conwy's forested valley has been dubbed by the press as "possibly the best log cabin in Britain" for good reason; a place to cosy up with 1000-piece puzzles, then dash between hot tub and sauna.
Luxury homes on England's South Coast
In a clash of coast and cliff, where kingfishers and cranes comes to play and the fresh air sends all to salt-whipped slumber, our luxury homes on the south coast of England are swaddled by townships that still hold secrets of the past, and waterways that tempt the bravest of wild swimmers.
These woods might be better known as the home of Britain's favourite bear, but even Pooh never found a place as idyllic as this. You’re more likely to find wood anemones than a bouncing tiger, but a stay here is sweet as honey.
Sharing county bounds with the real-life Watership Down, this cabin in Hampshire's New Forest happens where the aesthetics of a gothic bolthole meets the glint of kumquat sofas and copper tubs.
Luxury homes in Cornwall
When we conjure images of British escapes that seem to have it all, from sheltered beaches that feature on magazine covers to coastal eateries that showcase the county’s culinary chops, all roads lead to the sun-seeking south. Our luxury homes in Cornwall read like a who’s-who of the UK’s answer to Malibu.
It’s Cornwall, but feels like the Aegean Islands. On the untamed east coast of the Lizard Peninsula, this architectural outpost happens where glass and concrete meet. Here, dolphin-spotters put birders to shame.
Folks young and old will gather here to tell tales of moonrise surfs and rare birds seen from the hot tub. With its Scandi sauna and hallways lined with surfboards, a stay at this Cornish oasis is nothing short of idyllic.
Browse the full collection of luxury self-catering homes in the UK and Ireland.
