With less than 100 days until 25 December and after last year’s Christmas that never was – families, friends and loved ones are looking for a festive affair that pulls out all the stops. With international travel restrictions ever-changing, we have pulled together the top places to visit this Christmas season.
A very Cornish Christmas: A festive fayre at Bedruthan in Mawgan Porth returns
- Taking place from the 19 – 21 November, the fayre returns by popular demand showcasing 55 of the best creative talent in Cornwall for the ultimate coastal shopping experience.
- Daily workshops are held by some of the regions most respected innovators and artisans which can be followed up with a delicious ‘Naughty and Nice’ festive afternoon tea.
A Scandi-inspired retreat on top of the Cornish clifftops, Bedruthan Hotel and Spa is a colourful, idyllic retreat for creative travellers who are looking to be inspired by the majestic outdoors. Back by popular demand this year is the property’s Christmas fayre with attendance and exhibitions from 55 of Cornwall’s finest crafters, creators, and artisans.
In addition to the fayre, there will also be daily craft workshops hosted by some of the region’s top innovators. The schedule includes a show-stopping wreath making workshop led by Kate at Beach House Flowers who will guide participants through using ethically sourced moss and local, natural accessories to create their personal designs.
After building up their appetites at these crafty sessions, guests can retreat to Bedruthan’s Herring restaurant to savour their first mince pie of the season in the ‘Naughty and Nice’ festive afternoon tea. The team has a complimentary shuttle onsite to deliver guests to and from Mawgan Porth where the festivities are to take place.
Bedruthan’s organic Scandi-inspired style makes for an idyllic destination for the festive period. The hotel’s signature wooden hot tubs give the sense of an alpine escape and for the full Scandinavian experience – take a cold-water dip in the Cornish sea just steps from the hotel.
HOW: Rates at Bedruthan start from £165 on a B&B basis. Buy your tickets to the fayre here.
Chauffer to midnight mass at the UK’s most glamorous festive bolthole at Lympstone Manor, Devon
- Arrive on Christmas Eve and be met with brass bands, mulled wine and mince pies before a tasting menu by Michelin starred Michael Caines.
- Bring in 2022 with a black-tie gala dinner with music from The Swing Kings and a firework display over the property’s vineyard and estuary.
Once a private home, Lympstone Manor is set in 28 acres of Devon countryside with unrivalled views of the Exe estuary and the realised dream of renowned Michelin starred chef, Michael Caines MBE. This is the perfect escape for epicurean travellers this Christmas and New Year.
Upon arrival on Christmas Eve, guests will be greeted by a brass band playing Christmas Carols whilst they enjoy warming cups of mulled wine and spiced mince pies before an evening of even more gastronomic delights with Michael’s signature eight course tasting menus. Chauffeurs can then be arranged to transport guests to Midnight Mass at Exeter Cathedral.
Christmas morning begins in the utmost style with an impressive Champagne breakfast. A diligently curated five-course festive menu will be served at both dinner and lunch complete with Michael’s mum’s famous Christmas pudding. Guests can walk off all festive indulgencies around the picturesque estate and explore parts of the nearby South West Coastal Path by foot or bicycle and discover the Jurassic Coast – England’s first natural UNESCO World Heritage Site.
Boxing Day will be spent with the hair of the dog by way of a tour around the property’s new vineyard with guided touts held by the knowledgeable team and the property’s sommelier and wine expert, Steve Edwards.
For those who aren’t able to get enough during the Christmas period, return on New Year’s Eve for the most glamorous party of the night in the south west. The team are set to pull out all the stops with a black-tie gala dinner and tasting menu accompanied by a matching wine flight. Supper will be followed by a Champagne toast and live music by the Swing Kings before guests bring the new year in with a fireworks display over Lympstone Manor’s breath-taking vineyard and estuary.
HOW: Rates start from £315 per night including breakfast and based on two people sharing. Prices for the three-day Christmas package start from £905 per night. Prices for New Year’s Eve start from £1,050 per night.
Christmas for the country bumpkins at The Coniston Hotel & Spa, Yorkshire
- A traditional Yorkshire fayre filled with plenty of food drink and country walks with no family member left behind at this dog-friendly haunt.
- Boxing Day is full of adventure thanks to the property’s new partnership with Land Rover so guests can make the most of the 1,400-acre estate.
Located on a picturesque, private 1,400-acre estate on the Yorkshire Dales is The Coniston Hotel & Spa. Arrive on the afternoon of Christmas Eve for a festive tea serenaded by a live pianist before taking a walk through the impressive landscape.
The evening affair includes Christmas cocktails followed by a three-course dinner with a heavy focus on local, seasonal produce from the surrounding area. At turndown, a little gift awaits from The Coniston’s family to yours.
Christmas Day at The Coniston is a traditional affair with a Bucks Fizz fuelled breakfast followed by a Champagne reception and Christmas lunch with all the trimmings (and the best Yorkshire puddings in town).
Boxing Day is action packed and the property’s new partnership with Land Rover means that guests can explore this festive winter wonderland with an added level of adventure.
Other activities include fishing, e-biking, clay pigeon shooting and off-road driving experiences, as well as numerous walking routes, all centred around a stunning lake. Those looking to wind down after a fun-packed few days should head to the award-winning Nadarra Spa.
No member need be left behind as The Coniston offers several dog-friendly hotel rooms as well as self-catering holiday cottages with private gardens to enjoy.
HOW: The Coniston Christmas Break is available from £649 per person based on two people sharing a Signature Room.
A foodie festive affair at The Forest Side, Lake District
- Spend the afternoon lazing after an eight-course Michelin Christmas lunch, playing board games, participating in the quiz, and nibbling on homemade gingerbread and tea.
- The evening includes a hog roast supper fit with all the trimmings, a selection of cheeses and pastries.
Located in the heart of the Lake District in the quintessentially English village of Grasmere; The Forest Side is a restored gothic fairy-tale mansion on 43 acres of rolling green grounds and gardens and makes for the most magical Christmas escape.
Perfect for foodies, The Forest Side’s Michelin-starred restaurant is helmed by chef Paul Leonard and is recognised as one of the finest in the Lake District and designed to reflect the scenic landscape in which it sits.
On arrival guests will be greeted with a warm, freshly baked mince pie and glass of sparkling local mead before spending the afternoon at their leisure ahead of the evening’s supper.
On Christmas morning, guests will be treated to a hearty breakfast before spending down time with loved ones opening gifts and exploring the grounds and extensive kitchen garden to work up an appetite for the astounding eight-course Christmas lunch.
In their food comas, guests can reside in the lounge to play board games or join in the Christmas quiz – homemade gingerbread is available for those feeling peckish. The evening is more of a casual but delicious affair with a hog roast buffer dinner accompanied by all the trimmings, a selection of cheese and a variety of cakes and pastries.
HOW: Prices for Christmas at The Forest Side start from £2,050 in a Cosy room.
An adult’s only tranquil twixmas at The Scarlet Hotel, Cornwall
- One of the UK’s most renowned eco spas, this property is the perfect place for adults to relax and recharge after a hectic festive season.
- Each evening is spent at supper soaking up the views of the Atlantic Sea in the landscape below.
Settled within the rugged Cornish clifftops is The Scarlet Hotel, an eco-sanctuary with far-reaching views of the crashing waves and sandy coastline that blend into the Atlantic. This adult-only property exudes natural calm and is the perfect place to recharge after a hectic festive season.
Over the course of a three-night stay, guests will have access to the most renowned eco spas in the UK featuring a bromine-filtered indoor pool, outdoor natural reed pool, clifftop wooden sauna and restorative steam room. Treatments take place in tented, lantern-lit rooms and include stillness afterwards in the deep relaxation room’s suspended cocoon pods. The pièce de resistance are the two log-fired hot tubs perched on the cliffside overlooking the golden sands of Magwan Porth.
Each morning, they will enjoy breakfast at the property’s sea view restaurant with views over the crashing seas below. There are also three-course dinners on the first and last night with a memorable seven-course tasting menu in the middle fit with diligently selected wine pairings.
Throughout their stay, guests will have access the property’s complimentary programme of daily yoga and wellbeing. Christmas festivities continue with a surprise gift in-room each evening and a luxury food hamper for guests to take home.
HOW: Rates the Indulgent Twixmas Break at The Scarlet Hotel start from £1,725 based on two people sharing.
Celebrate Christmas at one of the UK’s hottest new openings for 2021: The Tawny, Staffordshire
- This family-opened property is excited to celebrate its first ever Christmas.
- Seasonal meals will celebrate Staffordshire and the surrounding area.
Set within the 70-acre grounds of the wonderfully restored wild garden of Consall Hall Estate in Staffordshire, The Tawny Hotel opened this July. Comprised of 55 idyllic Shepherds Huts, Treehouses, Boathouses, Retreats and the Lookout – each space is designed to emulate the natural surroundings.
This Christmas, guests will arrive on property on 24th December and be greeted with a glass of warming mulled wine or hot chocolate. Travellers can then take a stroll through the vast estate where they will find cocktails, canapes, carol singers and a bandstand hidden in the follies.
Dinner will be served at The Plumicorn restaurant housed in a striking building in the centre of the estate. Overseen by chef Chris Alexander, Plumicorn will offer a menu that speaks of Staffordshire and the Peak District, utilising quality local ingredients sourced from the hotel’s own kitchen garden as well as the neighbouring area.
Christmas Day will focus on the food from the region and will be as traditional as possible with The Tawny staying true to its Staffordshire roots. Boxing Day will be complete with a Christmas movie and a Sunday lunch for all the family.
HOW: Prices for a Christmas at The Tawny start from £1,800 based on two people sharing.
A self-catering escape with all of your loved ones at The Manor, Somerset
- Sleeping up to 18 guests, The Manor is the perfect spot for travellers to reunite with all of their loved ones after last year’s Christmas that never was.
- A home away from home in the heart of Somerset, the property is fit with everything one could need for a countryside escape.
The Manor is a beautiful Georgian manor house set in two acres of gardens that once housed the family of Scott of the Antarctic. The Grade II listed building has been sympathetically restored by the owners with a fantastic eye for interior design including soft furnishings and original artworks on the walls. This stunning property has everything you need for a secluded escape to the countryside including a heated pool, hot tub, gym and private lawned gardens to roam around.
The property can comfortably accommodate several families or a large group of up to 18. The large country kitchen is well stocked with appliances including an American fridge-freezer, Nespresso machine, microwave and Rangemaster oven, as well as two dishwashers. There’s also an outdoor play area with tree house, swings, slides and climbing frame, which is great for little ones.
The Manor is part of Luxury Cottages. With over 100 hand-selected properties across the country, the company offers an unparalleled customer journey as far as self-catering is concerned with a concierge service that accommodates clients’ every need. Its ever-growing portfolio includes anything from shepherd’s huts to stately homes.
Groups of all sizes can find just what they need this Christmas; whether it be the best butchers to buy your Turkey, to the best local companies to tablespace your lunch. Whatever the activity or request, the expert team is on hand to guide you through your stay.
HOW: A week at The Manor House starts from £10,500 for 18 guests.
