Whether you’re desperate for a city break at the new Old War Office hotel from Raffles or you fancy a long weekend in the Scottish wilderness, we have the perfect UK holiday options for 2024.
1) Sheepy Sleepovers
We’re kicking off this list of UK holiday destinations with something totally odd, but you’ll love it even more for it. How about heading to Scotland and hanging out with six sheep for the weekend, and sometimes having therapy sessions with the fluffy fellas too? (Yes, the flock are all boys.) Retreats founder Beccy is totally passionate about sheep, which are apparently more intelligent than dogs and, trust us, her message is contagious. So is hanging out with the fluffy lads. teawithnaughtysheep.com
2) The Old War Office
The Old War Office is easily the most significant – and impressive – London hotel opening of the decade. It takes over the building where Churchill conducted the war effort, and many of the original features are still intact.
His old office is even a bedroom, but be warned, it’ll cost you tens of thousands to rest your head where the leader pushed pens. But it’s beautifully contemporary feeling too. It’ll set you back to spend the night, but it’s a UK holiday splurge you won’t regret. theowo.london
3) Boys Hall
This 17th century Kent property only has nine rooms, but after opening last year the hotel developed a reputation far loftier than its ceilings. With brilliant British produce and an incredibly warm welcome by husband and wife team in Brad and Kristie, this spectacularly renovated property amid beautiful landscaped gardens is well worth the short trip out of the capital. boys-hall.com
4) Farm Stay
Having celebrated their 40th anniversary last year, the Farm Stay team truly are some of the good guys. A not-for-profit holiday company offering stays on over 450 different farms across the UK, director David Brown makes sure all money made goes directly back to supporting the farms and farming industry.
The aim? To promote the work of British farmers – but also to give stressed out city types a down-to-Earth experience. Run along, there’s mucking out to do. farmstay.co.uk
5) Gleneagles
Celebrating its centenary this year, Gleneagles in the heart of the Scottish Highlands is arguably the most magnificent UK holiday destination in the whole of the UK.
It is the grandest of the countryside bolthole hotels, where everything is at least one notch grander than it is anywhere else. Think roaring fireplaces like something out of Dickens, high ceilinged dining rooms, bedrooms with amazing nature views (if it isn’t raining) and unique experiences like salmon fishing that bring you right into the heart of Scottish culture. gleneagles.com
6) Pan Pacific London
The Pan Pacific is a real statement of intent for the Square Mile, a proper landmark hotel that rivals any in the capital. The quality is evident from the moment you step into the lobby – everything here feels expensive, assured, calm. It feels slightly surreal to be ensconced in five star luxury while mere feet away from your daily commute; from the infinity pool at the high-spec spa you get a view over Liverpool Street station, which feels strangely comforting. You also get a bird’s eye view of London’s oldest district, giving you a fresh perspective on the warren of alleyways and churches that skulk below the skyscrapers. panpacific.com
7) Unyoked
Unyoked owns luxury cabins in the South Downs, the Black Mountains in Wales, and Norfolk, with plans to expand further across the UK. Starting out in Australia, the company is all about escaping the daily grind and reconnecting with nature. It’s all very slick, a Silicon Valley start-up mentality transplanted into the forested wilderness. Before you arrive you download an app that has all the information you need about getting to your cabin, which looks like a slate grey Monopoly house scaled up to human size. It’s just big enough to fit a sizeable bed, log burner, small bank of kitchen cabinets with a stove, and a separate shower/toilet.
With some of the cabins within a couple of hours of London, it’s a great way to escape it all for a few days, and with a room for two starting at £154 for weekdays and £179 for weekends, it won’t break the bank. unyoked.co
8) Estelle Manor
Estelle Manor is the Oxfordshire sister site of Estelle Maison, the oh-so-classy Mayfair members club for Londoners in the know. Its 108 hotel rooms are open to all, although there is a private area with additional lounge and bar. The manor house, with its exquisite suites with four-poster beds, vast marble bathrooms and captivating views of the surrounding 3,000 acres of parkland, is the star. But guests can also choose rooms in the converted stables building or the walled garden, where sensitively rendered new-build cottages overlook a vibrant allotment. estellemanor.com
9) Cabins at Glen Glack
Set in a remote stretch of Perthshire, almost exactly halfway between Edinburgh and Inverness, you can find the cabins at Glen Glack, an eco lodge and haven of luxury in the heart of the highland wilderness. Each property has a unique colour and shape and blends harmoniously into the landscape; the perfect blend of country-cosy and urban style. Inside there are woollen rugs aplenty, a wood-burning stove and even a big button marked “wifi” to make switching off as easy as can be. Some cabins have bathtubs on the veranda, so you can soak with a glass of wine as dusk descends over Cally Loch. The ideal UK holiday: don’t mind if I do… atholl-estates.co.uk
10) Salcombe Harbour Beach Club
The new Harbour Beach Club hotel in Devon’s incredibly quaint Salcombe was divisive, with some locals disapproving of how it feels oversized for a charming little town. But it is done so incredibly well: a beautiful veranda is the perfect sun trap with sea views, and the restaurant serves excellent local seafood. Most rooms have generous balconies overlooking the sea, and there’s a fun tractor boat to take you to the town, where you can go for a pint and a mooch. The perfect weekend by the sea. harbourhotels.co.uk
11) The Grove
There aren’t many places within the M25 that have hosted a get-together for world leaders and boast a world-class golf course graced – and conquered – by Tiger Woods, but The Grove is one such destination. You could even come here by Tube, if you were some sort of masochist.
It was once a riding school and later a wartime HQ but for the past 20 years it has been dedicated to leisure. For a luxury resort which once hosted Nato’s 70th anniversary, the vibe is refreshingly unstuffy, with families and pets encouraged, and the accommodation, both in the main house and the recently refurbished 18th century mansion, is modern and comfortable. Rooms start at £420 per night and golf packages are available from £115 per person. thegrove.co.uk.
12) The Holcombe
Dating back to 1690 and grade II listed, The Holcombe has had many guises throughout its colourful past. At one point known as the Ring o’ Roses, it started life as a dairy farm before becoming an Inn around the mid-19th century and has housed everything from a smithy to coroner’s inquests within its aged stone walls. The Holcombe’s current custodians, Alan & Caroline, describe their tenure of the building as “a restaurant with rooms” and the stay at The Holcombe is one of classic English countryside style. Rooms at The Holcombe start from £180 per night; theholcombe.com