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After weeks of lockdown, we’re all longing to get out of our own space – the four walls where we’ve spent the past few months trying to keep ourselves occupied. And while travel quarantines mean travelling abroad might not be suitable for everyone, as of 4 July, we can now enjoy a holiday in the UK.
Luckily, the UK is a country of varied landscapes, with rolling hills, beautiful beaches and dramatic islands to explore. And rented accommodation has, over the past few years, evolved from tired holiday homes to thoughtfully restored period houses, boundary-pushing examples of modern architecture and lo-fi, self-check-in hideaways with eco credentials.
We’ve rounded up the best holiday rental websites to find the perfect bolthole to take over as your own, with properties all over the country, flexible booking policies and tons of space to spread out in.
1. FISH AND PIPS
Best for: party mansions for the whole crew
Best known for its ski chalets, Fish & Pips is expanding its listings of exclusive-use properties to the UK for the first time this summer. Founders Holly Chandler and Philippa Hartley have handpicked pretty houses in the British countryside, starting with a carefully curated clutch of properties in Suffolk and the Scottish Highlands. For an all-out party mansion, Suffolk’s Chapel Barn sleeps 42 in a set of renovated 15th-century buildings, with a cinema, indoor pool and sauna.
2. Airbnb Plus
Best for: seeing inside the world’s fanciest homes
Almost everyone has used Airbnb at some point. And almost everyone has been overwhelmed by the sheer amount of options that are available to book. Narrow it down by flicking through its Plus properties – all the homes have been verified in person, and only properties with serious design smarts are accepted. If you’re feeling like an extra splurge, take it a step further and look at Airbnb Luxe properties – there’s only a handful in the UK that make the cut, including a Cotswolds estate that sleeps 12, with a private chef and a secret cinema room.
Airbnb cancellation policies vary by host – read through any T&Cs carefully before booking. airbnb.co.uk
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3. The Landmark Trust
Best for: houses with history
The Landmark Trust is technically a charity that rescues and restores buildings – castles, towers, villas – and makes them available to take over as your own. It looks after more than 200 historic buildings across Britain – unusual properties include a flat set in an 1820s lighthouse in Devon, an old water tower on the Sandringham estate in Norfolk, a Gothic castle in Monmouthshire, Wales, and a Victorian fort just off the coast of Alderney, which comes with a drawbridge for extra drama. There’s no Wi-fi, TV or radio in any of the homes – instead you’ll find milk in the fridge, an open fire to build yourself and furniture that’s been carefully curated to fit in with the building’s history.
Landmark Trust properties are currently closed until 14 June 2020 but can be booked for late 2020 and 2021. If your booking is cancelled by the Landmark Trust, you will receive a refund or credit note. landmarktrust.org.uk
4. Kip Hideaways
The team at member’s club Kip Hideaways edits a pared-back listing of holiday homes to hire out with properties that sleep 2-6 people and have sweet interiors – a Scandi-inspired cottage on the Isle of Skye with ecru shiplap and a window seat overlooking the sea, or a beach house in Whitstable with views right across the pebbles from the linen-draped bed. They only have about 60 properties and all of them have been personally vetted, which eliminates any chance of browsing boredom. When booking, you’re put in touch with the owners directly, and most stays include a secret gift on arrival.
It costs £10 to subscribe for a year, or £1.99 per month on a rolling basis. Kip Hideaways is currently accepting bookings for the rest of 2020. kiphideaways.com
5. Unique Homestays
Best for: sharp interiors
Seriously splashy homes are available to rent on Unique Homestays, founded by Cornish chef Sarah Stanley in 2001 when she returned to England having spent 12 years travelling the world. Properties are beautifully curated – a cabin in Rye has a claw-foot bath, a hot tub and a dreamy four-poster draped with chiffon, while the deck of a clifftop hideout in Cornwall looks right out across the ocean.
6. Canopy & Stars
Best for: glamping
Canopy & Stars makes sure all its listings are rooted in nature and their surroundings. That might mean cabins perched above a lake with a deck you can dive off into the chilly water, a treehouse immersed in greenery, or a glamping pod with a glass ceiling for stargazing. Genuine eco-credentials include solar-powered energy or furniture made from reclaimed materials.
Canopy & Stars is aiming to honour bookings from 4 July 2020. You can book online from 4 July 2020 throughout the rest of the year. canopyandstars.co.uk
7. National Trust
Best for: incredible locations
The National Trust has protected the British countryside, coastline and historic sites since 1875. But it also rents out some of its properties, including cottages, bothies and campsites. The website groups houses into different categories – romantic hideouts for two include an old mill in Herefordshire and a Thirties riverside retreat in Cornwall, while coastal cottages are spread along the shore from Yorkshire to Devon. There are also buildings used in TV and film productions – you can stay in Game of Thrones’ Winterfell or the estate from Pride and Prejudice.
Currently, the National Trust is taking bookings from 1 July 2020. It will review this date the week commencing 1 June 2020, in line with the next government update. nationaltrust.org.uk/holidays
8. Cool Stays
Best for: unique hideouts
If a cottage feels a bit too mainstream, look to UK-focused Cool Stays, which looks after more than 1,000 unusual properties, from treehouses to boat-hotels and windmills. In East Sussex you can stay on a converted London double-decker bus in the middle of the woods, while a lighthouse on Scotland’s Isle of Skye is surrounded by four acres of land. Top tip: scroll through the Editor’s Picks section for a more curated list of 50 of the smartest properties on the website.
Cool Stays is currently accepting bookings from 4 July 2020 onwards. coolstays.com
9. Living Architecture
Best for: cutting-edge design
Buck the trend of snug cabins and homely cottages in favour of something more modern and surprising. The eight houses listed by Living Architecture are all feats of engineering that go against the grain of the traditional weekender. In Suffolk, the Balancing Barn teeters precariously above six acres of private gardens, while the somewhat dystopian Shingle House in Dungeness has uninterrupted sea views.
10. Sheepskin Life
Best for: smart cottages
For the cosy, quintessentially British weekend away, only a holiday cottage will do – preferably covered in wisteria or climbing roses. Sheepskin Life hires out honeyed-stone cottages in the Cotswolds and smart red-brick houses in Somerset, as well as properties across Scotland, Ireland, Wales and the rest of the UK – a brew house in the hills of Yorkshire with original features, or a 16th-century cottage in the Brecon Beacons with a big flat lawn that’s perfect for games in the sun. For something a bit more unusual, we particularly like the Red Kite Tree Tent in South Wales, nestled into the branches above a burbling stream.
Sheepskin Life is a branch of Holiday Cottages and currently accepting bookings from 4 July 2020 onwards. sheepskinlife.com
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