If you’ve been searching for that exquisite 5-star rural escape, Combermere Abbey on the Cheshire/Shropshire border is one of those exceptional family and dog-friendly hideaways that will live up to even the most demanding expectation. So whether you’re looking for a romantic weekend away, a family retreat or a long-term business let, we think that Combermere Abbey will deliver the highest levels of quality throughout the duration of your stay.
Comprising of ten individually designed five star eco-friendly holiday cottages; there is a style to suit every taste, from understated contemporary to traditional elegance. The holiday cottages are the result of a conversion of the original stables and coach house, which are positioned around a beautiful cobblestone courtyard (dating back to Napoleonic times) that can sleep between 4 - 10 guests each. Every aspect has been carefully thought about to ensure your stay is the best it can be. As soon as you step into your cottage you will feel an extraordinary home from home comfort, which is immediately relaxing to the senses.
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Unique Home Stays offer access to some of the most luxurious and grandest private houses in the UK and overseas.
Their portfolio of Luxury homes for rent is very impressive. If you are planning a getaway, you want something with a bit of ‘wow’ about it, don’t you?
You want ‘wow’? I give you ‘WOW’!
I present to you the World’s best Huf Haus for rental. The Beach Haus in Burton Bradstock, Dorset ticks every box when you are looking for a luxury UK property to rent.
The location is perfect. Situated on 1 acre of private gardens, with national trust meadows beyond, the property is ensured its privacy. This luxury Huf Haus takes full advantage of the magnificent views of Chesil Beach.
The actual Huf Haus is so spectacular, it was featured on TV’s Grand Designs. Typically Huf, its layout is open plan creating buckets of space. The natural light floods in through walls of glass.
The open-plan sitting room has stunning panoramic views of the coast and includes a large 8-seater sofa, enormous wood burning fireplace, 42” flat screen TV with full Sky package and Sonos surround sound music system.
Just why you would need a TV with views this good is beyond me!
But there’s more! There is also a large Cinema room and an equally large separate children’s den with table football and a variety of toys.
The kitchen is suitably funky, with everything you would need on a luxury break including modern fitted appliances, breakfast bar and intelligent lighting. French windows just off the kitchen, lead to a decking area.
The decking is well thought out and offers another chance to take in the location. This essentially becomes the Beach Haus’s extra (and most used?) room.
The four bedrooms sleep eight in total, with three of the bedrooms upstairs giving access to balconies. Anyone would think there’s a decent view around here!
This is a perfect example of just how good a Huf Haus can be. As a luxury rental, it’s possibly the World’s best. The Beach Haus can be booked exclusively at Unique Home Stays.
When I was asked to review spa resort ‘Jardins de Saint Benoit’ I couldn’t believe my luck.
The invitation came courtesy of Garrigae, a property and holiday company based in Languedoc in Southern France, only a two hour flight from London. I have no idea why I hadn’t looked into this area before now as the region offers glorious sunshine, breathtaking scenery and some of the finest vineyards in the world.
Bordering both the Pyrenees on the east and the Mediterranean sea on the West it enjoys a wonderful climate and boasts a spectacular coastline with a stunning mountainous backdrop.
Apparently it’s relatively unknown to us Brits who prefer to holiday in Provence, and yet is just as easy and inexpensive to get to. Indeed a truly authentic experience awaits visitors; it’s a chance for us to find out where the French spend their long weekends and what they do to relax. Parisians hoping to escape the rat race have increased demand in sophisticated yet nostalgic holiday homes and Garrigae have developed a number of exceptional properties, each with their own character and Gallic charm, designed with a specific purpose in mind.
Jardin de Saint Benoit could be described as the most ‘family friendly ‘ of the portfolio with it’s extensive kids activity roster (including mini yoga!) although having stayed there sans children I can vouch that its is also perfect couple territory- there’s not a Butlin holiday rep in sight and I saw no sparky teenager shouting at kids to get in the pool and perform a Mexican wave. In fact I actually thought I’d stumbled across a honeymoon destination but perhaps this is typical French - even the kids are coolly nonchalant.
It’s easy to see why le Jardin has had no problem renting out apartments; the venue is a picture perfect example of southern elegance. Driving into the Benoit estate you’ll first come across a rather grand looking farmhouse lined with olive trees and van Gogh purple irises. This mansion is in the heart of le Jardin, and hosts their bar, restaurant, roman spa and beautiful outdoor pool.
Every morning before breakfast I dipped in for an invigorating swim and took in the view (which is spectacular) a valley of vineyards, olive groves, cypress trees, lavender fields and sunflowers all stretching for miles around without a single office building or traffic jam in sight. It’s enough to make you reach for your watercolors…. Of course if swimming sounds far too much like hard work you could follow in the footsteps of my traveling companions and book in for a massage. The spa centre is equipped with treatment rooms, sauna, steam and Jacuzzi and designed to be a stress and hassle free zone with plenty of quiet corners to hang out, sip some fruity tea and catch up with a good book.
One past-time we all agreed upon was eating and drinking. If you love your food and wine you’ll love this place. Not only does it have its own vineyard but it also provides wine tasting and cookery lessons - which of course we felt obliged to try out.
Somehow I, keeper of the microwave and queen of the fish finger sandwich, found myself chopping olives, grinding anchovies and pummeling the plumpest beef tomatoes onto chunks of the freshest French bread. I’m not sure how wise arming me with a sharp knife was after a few glasses during the cookery session- but can let you know it was a hugely enjoyable process….
Of course there is nothing like some sea air to clear a foggy head so the next day we headed out to view their coastal property, Port Rive Gauche in Marseilles.
Perched on the waterfront this boutique bolthole occupies a former wine warehouse that has now been divided into 11 luxury suites and a spa centre. It’s decorated in French marine style - so super trendy, all white washed walls, driftwood and bleached out decking which are entirely in keeping with the property’s view: a crystal clear deep blue sea.
Having experienced what it’s like to lie out on the apartments decking long enough to start turning pink we all cruised along the harbour to a nearby fish restaurant where oysters are present on every table and top quality seafood is an everyday occurrence. Over a long lunch fishy lunch and couple of bottles of wine we learnt the aim behind the company’s vision from their chic representative Eurydice. She explained how the Garrigae is passionate about ensuring an authentic French experience without sacrificing on modern creature comforts. The renovations keep the history of the region ever present but aren’t ignorant to the needs and demands of their visitors.
Ever the perfect hostess she took us on a little tour of the seaside village and into its famous Noilly Prat vermoutherie where we learnt the history of this famous brand and sampled some of it’s various guises. According to our guide Rick Stein is a huge Noilly fan and on his visit enjoyed more than one glass of it’s local amber variety; sweeter and less dense than the version we are used to, and the best bit- you can only get it here!
Not wanting to outstay our welcome we said goodbyes to our guide and fitted in a stroll along the harbour, stopping to buy an ice cream to help stay cool in the sun, by now high in the sky, bleaching out all the cobbled pavements and whitewashed fishing boats around us.
Had we enough energy left we could have marched into the rugged countryside and tackled some of that famous hillside walking where nature trails and medieval ruins can be discovered at every turn. The region is a historians dream; it was once an epi-centre of medieval wealth and intelligence and had some of the most forward thinking leaders of its time. It even had its own language, ‘Occitan’, which was widely spoken until the city was annexed and amazingly it is still taught in local schools, proof that patriotic pride is still very much alive in the neighbouring towns.
The mountain fortresses known as the Cathar Castles are widely famous and I vowed next time I’d do a bit of homework and ask Garrigae to sort me out with a tour guide to take me into the Languedoc heartland. This is one of the best things about staying with them, they sort all your Mariah Carey type demands so even English speaking idiots like me can get around and enjoy the experience without worrying about their complete lack of local knowledge or failure to speak the lingo.
Having been on the go all day it was sheer bliss to get back to our private villas where I sat out on my very own terrace and looked up at the starriest sky I have seen in a long time. It was perfectly quiet and still and not long before I was tucked up dreaming of ice creams and sailing boats.
For more information on visiting any of the Garrigae properties please see garrigae-resorts.com.
Thought-provoking and refreshingly original, the artwork of Cornish artist Toby Ray evokes memories of summers past.
Artist Toby takes his main inspiration from the ocean and each ‘artwork within an artwork’ is a skilful melange of contemporary seascape painting, 3D assemblage, spray can stencilling and mixed media artistry.
Always featuring one of his life’s loves- a clean breaking wave, a pensive cat, or iconic 80’s imagery- Toby’s paintings also reflect his passion for interior design and have adorned galleries the world over.
Unique Home Stays are offering the original piece above as a competition prize. Unique Home Stays have a luxury private holiday homes and villas portfolio which is quite staggering.
Over 100 properties, in eight different countries. What sets UHS apart from the rest is the quality of the properties. Each and every one has the all important “wow” factor.
The Beach Hut
This specially commissioned piece for Unique Home Stays has been inspired by some of their gorgeously rustic beach-side dwellings such as The Beach Hut and Northcott Beach House. The 40cms x 43cms piece depicts the view from a wooden-cladded beach hut, looking out across the ocean with a feline friend for company.
Northcott House
All you need to do to win this piece of original artwork is ‘Like’ their Facebook page. It really is as simple as that. GOOD LUCK!!
For more information, as well as Terms and conditions, click here.
If you have a few minutes to spare, just have a look at Unique Home Stays website and draw up your wish list. A great way to immerse yourself in the world of luxury rental….but, you will need a lot more than a few minutes!
Quite possibly, SJ Villas have the best luxury chalet Courchevel 1850 has to offer.
Chalet Blanche was made for Courchevel. A perfect French ski resort now has a perfect winter chalet.
Built by local craftsmen and completed at the end of the last year, the chalet is very light and spacious. Sleeping 12 comfortably, Living space is spread over five floors and furnished in a warm, contemporary style.
Chalet Blanche is situated in the private domain of Bellecote, just a short ski to the main lift area of Courchevel 1850 and the perfect pistes, 63 ski-lifts, and 117 downhill skiing runs with an accumulated length of 150 km.
After pushing yourself on the slopes, you can relax in true style in the chalet’s specially designed basement with an amazing swimming pool, Jacuzzi, steam room and plasma TV screen.
There are six double bedrooms, all with balconies, a Gaggenau kitchen, a dining room and two large living rooms with an open fireplace. There is also an internal lift, a ski room, garage and wifi.
Chalet Blanche has its own chalet manager and maintenance staff. There is daily maid service and a chef and driver can be arranged. Bellecote is one of Courchevel’s most prestigious areas, close to all the best restaurants and bars.
Seven nights at Chalet Blanche costs from £2,854 per person, based on 12 people sharing, with SJ Villas.
