Travel
These 14 unique Airbnbs are perfect for a holiday in the UK
These are amazing!
From boats to planes to treehouses, we’ve compiled a list of the weirdest and most wonderful Airbnb listings so you can have an incredible staycation.
Although many of us are gutted we can’t be going on holiday this year to our usual and favourite beach spots, it doesn’t mean we can’t get away from everyday city life.
With Boris recommending staycations and the UK full of amazing spots, with many just a short drive away, now is the time to explore what the country has to offer.
The Jet Star, Redberth
£149 per night
Let’s kick off with a good one, fancy staying in an old private jet in the Welsh countryside? Course you do.
It can sleep up to four people and has a swanky double room attached to the side, there’s a loo and even an Xbox in the cockpit. Not sure what else you could want really?
St Benedict’s Abbey, Fort Augustus
£137 per night
This flat has everything you need for a romantic weekend in an actual ABBEY! Complete with a kitchen, lounge and a huge brass bed you’ll be tucked away in what was once the secret ‘writing room’ of the monastery.
You also get full access to the club which has a stunning pool (when pools reopen of course!). There’s also a gym, tennis court, cricket pitch, snooker tables and a luxurious restaurant in the boathouse. Oh, did I mention this is on the shores of Loch Ness?
Hoots Treehouse, Mayfield, England
£220 per night
If you wanted to live out your childhood dreams of living in a treehouse, this is exactly the one for you. It’s got 29 five star reviews on Airbnb so you know you’re in for a treat.
It’s in the perfect spot if you want to go off grid and enjoy some nature, with a deer park just 5 minutes away. There’s also a tennis court for use too!
Trickers Windmill, Suffolk
£125 per night
A five-storey Grade II listed Tower Windmill complete with a private courtyard in the heart of Woodbridge.
It’s the only habitable windmill in Woodbridge so you can sleep comfortably in the knowledge that you are in fact, one of a kind. Perfect for a romantic, windy weekend away!
Glamping Dome, Horningsea
£100 per night
If there’s one thing you need to do at least once in your life, it’s stay in a dome. I’m not entirely sure why but it’s pretty cool, right?!
This one is fully decked out with a wood-burning stove, leather tub chairs and a huge double bed. Cambridge is just three miles away.
Land Rover Hot Tub & Bluebird Penthouse, High Bickington
£110 per night
I can only imagine how many times you’ve dreamt about converting your old rusty Land Rover, which you have just on hand, into a hot tub – well, Ralph only went and did it.
The superhost has a 1950s decorated penthouse and a vintage Land Rover hot tub. There’s enough space for two guests, a gas BBQ, chimenea and even a wine cellar. One user recommends getting in the Land Rover hot tub for sunrise.
Hobbit House, Powys
£60 per night
For all you Star Wars or Star Trek fans, or whatever the Hobbit is from, this one’s for you. I’m just kidding, I know it’s from Doctor Who.
The description is perfect for this and I simply can’t do as good of a job, so here is Tin, the host, to tell you all about his Earth House instead: “In a hole in the ground there lived a hobbit. Not a nasty, dirty, wet hole, filled with the ends of worms and an oozy smell, nor yet a dry, bare, sandy hole with nothing in it to sit down on or to eat: it was a hobbit-hole and that means comfort.”
The description does come with a disclosure that ‘this is glamping, not luxury’ and it ‘IS small’!
Romantic Medieval Castle, Peebles
£140 per night
Feast your eyes on what could be your home for just £140 a night, an entire castle.
It’s a mini-castle on the Scottish Borders around 45 mins from Edinburgh, but it’s still a castle. It’s described as ‘ancient’ but ‘cosy. Perfect.
Dairsie Castle, Fife
£1,100 per night
Another castle, but this time MASSIVE. If you’re lucky enough to have 13 friends you can all hire out this place for a small fee of £1,100 per night.
Now before you choke on your water, that works out at just 92 quid each for you and all your mates, which is not bad considering you get this 12th-century castle complete with a dungeon. If you love golf, the famous Old Course in St Andrew is less than an hour away!
12th Century Abbey, Suffolk
£675 per night
Sticking with the grand theme, how does a Magical 12th Century Abbey sound? Thought you might like that.
Deep in the Suffolk countryside, this 12th-century abbey sleeps 18 and is completely surrounded by marshlands and forest. On that note, the description does say you will need ‘a car or a horse’ to get around. It’s just a few miles from the beach and around two hours to London – how perfect?!
Train Carriage, Machynlleth
£40 per night
This one is quite literally described as ‘train carriage on a hill’ and I’ll be honest that looks as though it’s a pretty bob on description.
It’s cosy and ideal for those looking for a walking or cycling trip in the surrounding Welsh hills. This one is also completely off the grid, so if you’re looking for an eco-friendly stay this is the one for you! The host also offers ‘holistic massage’ if you’re after it.
The Bridge House, Ballintuim
£164 per night
This unique two-bedroom home was built as part of the bridge over the River Ardle back in 1881. It’s been recently renovated – complete with a sauna by the way – a full king size four-poster bed, all soundtracked by the blissful river flowing.
The Crow’s Nest, Isle of White
£179 per night
I know what you’re thinking ‘another treehouse’. Well, you’re wrong because this one is ON THE BEACH.
Just about as far away as you can get without getting a plane, The Crow’s Nest is on the Isle of White and is a romantic, award-winning accommodation. Sit up from the king-size bed to a full view of the sea and a glorious golden beach. Pubs are just a short walk away too, doesn’t get better than that does it?!
Earth House, Canterbury
£90 per night
Finally, let’s get things back to nature with this Earth House. This is a unique and beautiful spiral straw bale studio with a reciprocal wooden roof.
There’s also the option to add on yoga and meditation tuition, breathwork, reiki treatments and even relationship therapy among a long list of other services.
*Check the latest updates and restrictions regarding travelling to Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales before booking.
Travel
New geothermal heated sea pool like Iceland’s Blue Lagoon has opened in Cornwall
Perfect for a staycation!
Travel
Thomas Cook is set to relaunch ‘in the next few weeks’ but with some big changes
The UK’s oldest tour operator could be back soon…
Thomas Cook, the UK’s oldest tour operator, could be making a return to the travel industry a year after the company folded.
The owners of Club Med and Wolverhampton Wanderers, Chinese conglomerate Fosun, saved the brand from completely vanishing after it went under in September last year.
According to some reports it looks like Fosun could be bringing back Thomas Cook as a travel agent.
Sky News has reported that Fosun is awaiting necessary regulatory approvals and for any quarantine updates on British citizens.
Thomas Cook looks set to relaunch as just an online travel agent and will be dropping the Thomas Cook airline, high street shops and branded hotels previously operated by the company.
The relaunch is reportedly set to go ahead this month, exactly a year after the company collapsed.
The firm filed for administration on September 23rd last year. The news left 150,000 UK holidaymakers stuck abroad and caused the biggest peacetime repatriation of Britons abroad, totalling to an estimated cost of £150m.
The 178-year-old firm was bailed out by Fosun. Chairman Jiannong said: “The group has always believed in the brand value of Thomas Cook.
“The acquisition of the Thomas Cook brand will enable the group to expand its tourism business building on the extensive brand awareness of Thomas Cook and the robust growth momentum of Chinese outbound tourism.”
Ken Fielding/Flickr
He added: “Following the acquisition, the group will focus on business expansion, using the newly acquired Thomas Cook brands to create synergies with the existing businesses of the group.”
The Chinese firm bought the assets including the trademarks, domain names, software applications, social media accounts and licences. However, 555 stores were sold for just £6m to rival Hays Travel.
Travel
A new giraffe hotel is coming to the UK which lets you get up close to the animals
This is amazing!
A brand new hotel where you share the resort with giraffes is coming to the UK.
Kent Online has shared the news of a new hotel, Giraffe Hall, that is set to open at Port Lympne Hotel and Reserve in Kent.
It’s not yet open but 9,000 people have already signed up to the waiting list, so this is definitely going to be a popular spot.
The accommodation is set in a Grade II listed building that dates back to the 15th and 16th century.
There will be ten bedrooms, five cabins and incredible views of the nature reserve where lions, giraffes and wolves will be living.
It’s set to be the first of its kind in the Western hemisphere, as giraffes will be able to wander right up to the hall and check out what’s happening inside through the windows.
The website explains: “Get closer than ever before and make friends with your giraffe neighbours, as the resident herd peer into the lofty ceilinged drawing room, or amble up to the bedroom windows, where you may be lucky enough to feed them.”
Guests will also be able to stay in ‘Lion Lodge’ which is the first of its kind in the world. It sees a timber clad, Manhattan loft-style building, set within the lion’s natural enclosure.
There will be ‘floor to ceiling windows in both the master bedroom and the open plan living area’ meaning ‘guests will be just a whisker away from lions’.
Prices are yet to be revealed for Giraffe Hall, however an overnight stay at Lion Lodge sees prices starting at £1,750.
You do get a golf buggy to move around the reserve, a bottle of bubbly on arrival and a full English breakfast, though.
Find out more or sign up to the waiting list here!
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