The Great British staycation: the finest luxury hotels and country houses in England

The finest luxury hotels and country houses in England

Luxurious lodgings for a glorious UK staycation, from luxury five star hotels and spa breaks in Hampshire to contemporary boltholes in the Cotswolds. Embrace long walks, local pubs, fresh air and a spoiling selection of country comforts at one of England’s finest luxury properties to rent.

Luxury staycation in England, here are some of our favourites.

Four Seasons Hotel, Hampshire

A multi-million-pound renovation has turned this 18th-century manor in the heart of Dogmersfield Park into a contemporary Four Seasons-worthy bolthole, complete with 133 luxurious guestrooms and nestled among more than 500 acres of rolling English countryside. Hideaway for a weekend of strolls, indulgent spa treatments (located in the house’s converted stable), lazy swims and fine dining in the on-site restaurant, Wild Carrot. The latter is located in a glossy Martin Brudnizki-designed dining room with chef Adam Fargin serving up modern British dishes. Not just for relaxation, the family-friendly hotel offers a series of activities, including clay shooting, yoga and croquet, as well as a Highwire Adventure obstacle course complete with zip wires, tree-canopy bungee jumps and high ropes. The luxury hotel in England is the perfect staycation, it also offers a series of experiences aimed at couples, including tennis, horseback riding and bespoke dinner under the stars perfect for a romantic dinner.

From £325 per night

www.fourseasons.com/hampshire/

Coworth Park, Ascot

Coworth Park offers idyllic relaxation in many guises, from a rural detox to an indulgent, romantic escape. Coworth Park’s onsite equestrian centre offers lessons on its 240-acre estate, with the ivory country house providing a picturesque backdrop. The theme continues indoors, with equine artwork on the walls and horseshoe motifs embroidered into the bedlinen. Part of The Dorchester Collection, Coworth Park is a former Georgian manor house turned luxurious, five-star retreat, nestled in leafy Berkshire. There are 70 rooms and suites, with copper roll-top baths, butterscotch furnishings and far-reaching views of the hotel’s manicured parklands.

From £415 per night

www.dorchestercollection.com/en/ascot/coworth-park/

Luxury Cotswold Rentals

Luxury Cotswold Rentals is delighted to welcome a flurry of new properties to its portfolio, arriving just in time to make the most of another exciting year for England, UK staycation. From stunning English country house design, to wild swimming lakes, cosy AGAs and heated pools. We share with you the top 3 houses and why the Cotswolds continues to hold the mantel for offering deeply comfortable, eclectic homes to rent, perfect for exploring the rolling Oxfordshire countryside.

Lower Farm Great Wolford

luxury england staycation — *Lower Farm Great Wolford*

Lower Farm Old Wolford is a charming five-bedroom village farmhouse with large gardens, an outdoor heated swimming pool, a trampoline and a tennis court. The two and half acre garden also has a ‘help yourself’ vegetable garden. There are three reception rooms, a spacious kitchen (with separate laundry and boot rooms), and a playroom. To really take the stress out of the holiday, four mornings of housekeeping are also included (subject to Covid-19 regulations).

Sleeps 10, from £12,500 per week (up to two dogs accepted at a charge of £100 per dog per week)

www.luxurycotswoldrentals.co.uk

North Lodge Blenheim

North Lodge Blenheim is a one-off seven bedroom country house on the gated and private Blenheim Palace Park, on the edge of Woodstock. The house sleeps up to 16 in seven bedrooms, five of which are en-suite. The house has a formal drawing room with open fire, formal dining room, cinema room and an open plan lounge with fireplace that opens off into the large, well-equipped kitchen with Wolf ovens, wine cooler and a pizza oven. Outside, there is a heated salt water swimming pool, hot tub, pool house and games room (equipped with pool table, shuffle board and poker table), bar, sauna, gym (fully equipped with television, treadmill, two exercise bikes, a weight machine and a full set of free weights) two steam showers and a sauna. It has an all weather tennis court, a terrace with seating and BBQ, a large fire-pit, golf practice net, basketball net and golf range.

Sleeps 16, from £25,000 per week

www.luxurycotswoldrentals.co.uk

Puffets Little Barrington

Converted from two classically Cotswolds terraced cottages, Puffets is now a spacious and immaculately designed village cottage in the heart of Little Barrington, overlooking the green and within walking distance of The Fox Inn. Puffets has five bedrooms – three ‘adult’ and two ‘childrens’ – and four bathrooms. There is a large entrance hall, a generous drawing room, a snug, an open plan kitchen dining room, a games room and a small gym. There is a large BBQ terrace leading off the dining room and into a beautiful enclosed lawned garden. Little Barrington is one of the prettiest villages in the Cotswolds and only three miles from the market town of Burford.