UK places to stay: Valentine's and the festive season

You need to book early if you want to find somewhere to stay to celebrate Valentine's Day, Christmas or New Year's Eve in 2012. Here's our pick of the best holiday accommodation Family places to stayPlaces to stay on special occasionsVALENTINE'S DAYWestcroft Guesthouse, Kingsand, CornwallIn picturesque Kingsand, a salty little village on south-east Cornwall's Rame peninsula, Westcroft is a quirky Georgian house overlooking Plymouth Sound, with three gorgeous rooms. Think antique beds (one four-poster), hand-painted murals, candlelight and the sound of sea lapping at shingle. ? Doubles from �90 a night B&B (01752 823216, westcroftguesthouse.co.uk) Austwick Hall, Yorkshire Dales An impressive country manor house of medieval origin, Austwick Hall is big on log fires, flagstones and oak. The five romantic bedrooms offer floor-scraping curtains, double-ended baths, antique rugs, half-tester beds and views. The food is good, too. ? For Valentine's week, doubles cost a special winter rate from �99 a night B&B (015242 51794, austwickhall.co.uk)The Love Shack, Windermere, CumbriaThe Love Shack, a neat, timber-clad eco-cabin, is set in its own secluded piece of woodland overlooking Windermere. The interior uses local reclaimed timber, natural wallcoverings and organic paints. There is one double bedroom, an en suite with a square bath, a wood-burning stove in the open-plan living room and a firepit on the deck. ? Four-night midweek breaks or three-night weekends (Valentine's Day is still available) from �430 (015394 41242, lakedistrictloveshack.com) South Croft, Durness, SutherlandThis is a funky curve of a house in an awesome location near Cape Wrath, overlooking Loch Eriboll. At the north-western tip of Scotland (100 miles from Inverness), the area is all lonely beaches, wildlife including red deer and grey seals, and rugged mountains. The glass-fronted lodge is not cheap ? but how many holiday lets offer a solar-heated alfresco bath tub? ? Available for Valentine's week (11-18 February at �1,100 through Under the Thatch (0844 500 5101, underthethatch.co.uk/shore)Kemp Townhouse, Brighton, East SussexOn a Regency terrace in a quiet Kemp Town backstreet a whisper from the sea, cool, sophisticated Kemp Townhouse is one of Brighton's finest boutique hotels. A five-star treat of dreamy beds, chandeliers and snazzy wet rooms, it's often rammed at weekends, but is available from 14-18 February. ? Small doubles from �125 including breakfast, or choose a four-poster with sea views from �195 (01273 681400, kemptownhousebrighton.com)The Pig, New Forest, HampshireFor country-house splendour without the grand prices, go for the The Pig. Within the New Forest national park, a mile from Brockenhurst, the former shooting lodge is a feast of rough-luxe decor, wellies, wood-smoke, organic wines and a home-grown menu supplied by foragers, kitchen gardeners and livestock (the Pig has pigs). ? Snug rooms cost �125 but it's worth splashing out on a decadent Stable Yard suite (from �165). Breakfast not included (01590 622354, thepighotel.co.uk)Portmeirion, Gwynedd Romantic Portmeirion, the mock Italianate village created by eccentric architect Clough Williams-Ellis, overlooks the Dwyryd estuary on the coast of Snowdonia national park. Book a contemporary room in Castell Deudraeth just up the hill or a traditional room in the beachfront Hotel Portmeirion. Or you can stay in one of the pastel self-catering cottages which characterise the village. ? Doubles in hotel and village from �109 a night B&B; Valentine's package includes champagne and dinner, from �175 per couple per night (01766 770000, portmeirion-village.com) Roulotte Retreat, Melrose, Scottish BordersCuddle up in a roulotte (a French Gypsy caravan with knobs on) in a burnside meadow in the wilds of the Scottish Borders close to Melrose and the Eildon Hills. The Roulotte Retreat's four beautiful bohemian glamvans include Devanna (Indian silks and shades of peacock) and Karlotta (art deco meets Marrakech), each offering a bedroom, bathroom and salon with woodburner and kitchenette. ? From �205 for two nights through Canopy & Stars (01275 395447, canopyandstars.co.uk)CHRISTMAS BREAKSThe Flete Estate, near Plymouth, DevonThe Flete Estate on Devon's south coast offers a collection of eight properties, including three coastguard's cottages (sleeping six) and Plamflete House (a Grade II-listed manor house sleeping 12, with room for a further six in the East Wing). The estate is on the Erme Estuary, south of Dartmoor national park, and has its own beach at Mothecombe Bay. One of the most popular properties is Nepean's Cottage, a charming Gothic number in private woodland sleeping eight in four bedrooms. ? Christmas week (21-28 December) is available at �1,523 (01752 830234, flete.co.uk) Gairlochy Bay, near Fort William, HighlandScottish Country Cottages suggests Gairlochy Bay, a romantic log cabin on the shores of Loch Lochy. Sleeping eight, it offers views of snowy Ben Nevis, walks on forest tracks from the door and fishing from the deck. For a day out, take the steam train to Mallaig from Fort William. ? Christmas week (22-29 December) is available at �1,327 (0845 268 0801, scottish-country-cottages.co.uk)10 George Street, YorkAccording to Alistair Sawday's Special Self-catering Places, 10 George Street in York is a "shrine to Victoriana" (cosy fires, swagged drapes, peacock and ruby colours, candles, carved wood and high-class clutter). A former lodging for brewery workers, the Georgian townhouse is inside the historic city walls, close to Minster and Shambles, and sleeps six in three double rooms. ? Christmas breaks cost �690 for three days or �960 for five days (01484 841330, sawdays.co.uk/self-catering)Pavilion Cottage, East Cowes, Isle of Wight This cottage in the grounds of Queen Victoria's Osborne House near Cowes, is a contender for Britain's most popular holiday let (with July and August already solidly unavailable and bookings running into 2013). Run by English Heritage, the two-bedroom bungalow, built in about 1900, was once the cricket pavilion for the Royal Naval College. It sleeps four in two double bedrooms and offers exclusive access to Victoria and Albert's private beach. ? Christmas week (22-29 December) is available at �1,339 (0870 333 1187, english-heritage.org.uk)NEW YEAR BREAKSThe Balancing Barn, near Walberswick, SuffolkThis mesmerising long silver structure hanging off the edge of a slope is part of Alain de Botton's not-for-profit holiday letting venture, Living Architecture. The idea is to sell the delights of 21st-century modernist living and, judging by the weight of bookings, it has clearly struck a chord. It sleeps eight in a series of architect-designed spaces. ? From �759 for a four-night midweek break; New Year costs �2,761 for five nights from 28 December (living-architecture.co.uk)Brook House, near Malvern, WorcestershireTypical of the Welsh borders, Brook House is a half-timbered beauty ? a geometry of posts, beams and old oak. It's one of three holiday cottages at Netherley Hall, a 700-acre farming estate on the western edge of the Malvern Hills. The house, which sleeps 10, is an easy drive from Malvern, Hereford, Worcester or Cheltenham. ? A week at New Year costs �2,059 (0845 268 0760, cottages4you.co.uk)The Mission, Isle of WightA classic "tin tabernacle", the Mission is a former chapel, built from timber and corrugated iron in about 1895 and converted into a roomy holiday let for eight. There are four bedrooms (two of them floating atop a nifty mezzanine gallery), tongue-and-groove panelling, a Charnwood woodburner, retro furniture (cinema seats, a 1950s kitchen) and a bath sunk into an old baptismal font. ? Available for a week over New Year at �1,725 through Vintage Vacations (07802 758113, vintagevacations.co.uk) The Quarry, Ifracombe, DevonSet into a wooded hillside overlooking Ilfracombe harbour, the Quarry is a big, bright Victorian villa with seven bedrooms ? perfect for groups or extended families with children ? a terrace with panoramic views of the north Devon coast, Sky TV and Wi-Fi and easy access to Exmoor or the surf beaches of Woolacombe and Croyde. ? A week at New Year (from 28 December) costs �3,500 (07979 306079, bighousedevon.co.uk)United KingdomChristmas and New YearShort breaksHotelsSelf-cateringLesley Gillilanguardian.co.uk © 2012 Guardian News and Media Limited or its affiliated companies. All rights reserved. | Use of this content is subject to our Terms & Conditions | More Feeds

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