Checking into Heckfield Place or one of The Pig’s many British properties is a failsafe option, but if you’re after a less-expected getaway this Valentine’s Day, try out one of the below.
The Double Red Duke
There’s no shortage of honey-stoned pubs-with-rooms in the Cotswolds, but The Double Red Duke, which opened last summer in the village of Clanfield, is particularly quaint. Visitors can enjoy top-notch gastropub fare beside a roaring log fire downstairs (complete with sticky toffee pudding for dessert), then retreat to their bedrooms to soak in their giant cast-iron baths. Another highlight, even in winter: the pretty antique conservatory and wooden shepherd’s hut in the garden. You can, and should, book in for a massage in the latter.
Elmley
The Isle of Sheppey’s Elmley holds the distinction of being the only nature reserve in Britain where visitors are able to spend the night. Ditch your bags in your glass-fronted shepherd’s hut (perfect for watching the sun go down over the marshlands), then set off to explore the 3,000 acres of wilderness on your doorstep – spotting peregrine falcons and short-eared owls overhead. As for the food? Meals are served by candlelight in a farmhouse, with all dishes inspired by Kentish produce, from the seaweed butter that comes with your bread through to the quince crumble for dessert.
Killiehuntly Farmhouse
If it’s total seclusion that you’re after, look to Killiehuntly Farmhouse in the Cairngorms. There are only a handful of rooms at this tiny 19th-century retreat in the middle of a 3,500-acre estate, whose Danish owners are helping to rewild the Highlands. The entire property is blissfully screen-free, with plenty of nature-centric activities to divert you instead. Chief among them: riding out on Killiehuntly’s ponies for lunch amongst the rugged scenery. You can always defrost in the wood-fired yurt sauna in the gardens afterwards.
Callow Hall
All of the rooms at Callow Hall – opened in the Peak District in 2021 – are charming, but for a romantic (and distinctly Instagrammable) escape, you cannot beat one of the Derbyshire hotel’s two newly opened treehouses, nestled within the branches of an ancient wood. Both come with wraparound decks featuring outdoor baths – ideal for stargazing on clear nights – as well as a firepit for roasting complimentary marshmallows. Make sure you tear yourself away from the king-sized bed long enough to get a full-body aromatherapy massage in the hotel’s Couch House.
Hampton Manor
A hop, skip and a leap from Birmingham International Station, Hampton Manor is a self-contained oasis. The former country bolthole of Prime Minister Robert Peele has been transformed into a haven for gourmands, with a bakery, a natural wine store, and three excellent restaurants on the 45-acre site – including the Michelin-starred Peel’s, whose modern British menu is inspired by Hampton Manor’s own walled garden. The rest of the hotel is equally charming, particularly the Arts & Crafts-inspired bedrooms, each stocked with homemade treats, fresh coffee beans, and a range of 100 Acres toiletries.
