Artist Residence, Cornwall
Seaside
The Artist Residence is the most fashionable address in Penzance: 13 funky rooms decorated by British artists such as Jo Peel and Sinead Geary, and a stripped-back, upcycled bar-restaurant that wouldn’t look out of place in Seattle. It’s perfectly located for making the most of the port’s galleries, restaurants, boozers and hideaway beaches, including Lamorna and Prussia coves, but it’s the arty vibe you’ll remember.
Doubles from £125 , B&B; 01736 365664, artistresidencecornwall.co.uk
Idle Rocks, Cornwall
Seaside
You may have noticed Idle Rocks hogging the best harbour views at St Mawes. You may also have noticed the happy residents sipping cocktails on the terrace and basking in the Cornish sunshine, and the even more radiant self-satisfaction at having booked Grand Sea View Rooms at Cornwall’s hippest hotel before it sold out for the summer. Join them this year by booking now.
Doubles from £200, B&B; 01326 270270, idlerocks.com
Polurrian Bay, Cornwall
Family friendly; seaside
Every family should spend a week at Polurrian Bay, on the sunset side of Cornwall’s Lizard peninsula. Kids will love the creche, the playground, the pool and the Blue Room, with its video games. Grown-ups will love the creche, the hike down to Polurrian Cove, the cream teas, the spa and the crab linguine. And the whole tribe will adore the hotel’s classic film shows.
Family rooms from £310 , B&B; 01326 240421, polurrianhotel.com
The Nare, Cornwall
Family friendly; seaside
Dominating Carne Beach, the Nare perfected the seaside holiday in about 1922 and has seen no reason to change. Days involve boat trips on the hotel launch, croquet, surfing, cream teas and then the kind of dinners you dress up for. When booking, they’ll ask if you prefer duvets or blankets — it’s that kind of place .
Interconnecting family rooms from £325 each, B&B, including cream tea; 01872 501111, narehotel.co.uk
Watergate Bay, Cornwall
Family friendly; seaside
A creaky Edwardian hotel has evolved into the UK’s most exciting seaside destination, or, as its owner describes it, “a ski resort on a beach”. Rooms are light and bright — presumably so you will rise early to take your surfing lessons, hang out in the £3m pool and spa complex, or work up an appetite for lunch at Jamie’s Fifteen nearby.
Family rooms from £365, B&B, self-catering apartments from £329; 01637 860543, watergatebay.co.uk
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Pig at Combe, Devon
Countryside
The honey-coloured Elizabethan pile formerly known as Combe House hotel reopens in early July as the Pig at Combe. It’s the fifth piglet in Robin Hutson’s wildly successful litter, and bagging a stay awards you bragging rights for the rest of the year. You know what to expect: quirky rooms with fabulous beds, terrific food and jolly staff.
Doubles from £149, B&B; 0345 225 9494, thepighotel.com
The Langstone Cliff, Devon
Family friendly; seaside
In 1946, Stanley Rogers, owner of an Exeter chip shop, came back from a furniture auction in Dawlish having bought a hotel. Seventy years later, the Langstone Cliff hotel is still in the family and still specialises in traditional seaside holidays. There are two pools, a tennis court and kids’ parties and entertainers ; Dawlish Beach is a short stroll along the coast path.
Family rooms from £165, B&B; 01626 868000, langstone-hotel.co.uk
Salcombe Harbour Hotel, Devon
Countryside
They put boxes containing binoculars and pashminas on the balconies at Salcombe’s hottest address, so you can make the most of the postcard views of the estuary. There’s free gin and sherry, too, but if you can tear yourself away, you’ll discover a bright and buzzing 50-room spa hotel, with a private cinema, a crustacean bar, private cabanas and Ibiza-style DJs.
Family rooms from £545, B&B ; 0844 858 9187, salcombe-harbour-hotel.co.uk
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The Alexandra, Dorset
Seaside
The Alexandra, in Lyme Regis, combines quiet family-friendliness with what is a comfortably grown-up spot outside the school holidays. It’s all about the views here (the Cobb, the cliffs, Lyme Bay), and you’ll find yourself almost hoping for the opportunity to snuggle up in your cosy room and watch a hooley blow in from the west.
Doubles from £180 , B&B; 01297 442010, hotelalexandra.co.uk
Woolley Grange, Wiltshire
Family friendly; countryside
Just outside Bradford on Avon, the Jacobean-era Woolley Grange has been placating boisterous infants since 1988. The Cotswolds are on the doorstep, but there’s so much to do here, from swimming and trampolining to collecting eggs and pulling veg, that you won’t want to leave. There’s also a kids’ club, a creche and a very good spa .
Family suites from £410, half-board; 01225 864705, woolleygrangehotel.co.uk
The Blakeney, Norfolk
Family friendly; seaside
Timeless seaside tradition is on offer at this family-run 1920s pile. The actual sea lies a mile to the north, but if you don’t make it that far, the views across Blakeney Harbour are magnificent and best enjoyed from the first-floor lounge. Right outside is Agar Creek, where multigenerational mudlarks mess around in boats. Inside, it’s a satisfying blend of old and new, with a pool and terrific local staff.
Interconnecting doubles from £99 each, B&B; 01263 740797, blakeney-hotel.co.uk
Congham Hall, Norfolk
Countryside
Nicholas Dickinson, the owner of this 26-room property near Sandringham, has a CV that includes time at swanky hotels such as Chewton Glen and Le Manoir aux Quat’Saisons — and it shows. Imagine a fresh coat of Farrow & Ball on the Georgian country-house hotel experience: snazzy spa, wine lists on tablets, all-mod-cons bedrooms and locally sourced fine dining.
Doubles from £135 ; 01485 600250, conghamhallhotel.co.uk
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Fairyhill, Gower
Countryside
You’ll find Fairyhill on the banks of the Burry Pill, four miles inland from surf-tastic Llangennith Beach and Worms Head. The eight-room Georgian manor house combines modern rooms with a charming higgledy-pigglediness, a cracking restaurant that attracts hordes of hungry locals, and the best wine list in Wales.
Doubles from £200, B&B ; 01792 390139, fairyhill.net
The Trefeddian, Gwynedd
Family friendly; seaside
Sited high enough to offer views across the golf course and the dunes to Cardigan Bay, Trefeddian, in Aberdovey, has it all. Beach? Across the road. Golf? See above. Pool, tennis, games room, playground? Check. Dogs welcome? Yep. Rooms aren’t exactly cutting-edge, but they’re comfy, and those at the front have superb views.
Family rooms from £240, half-board; 01654 767213, trefwales.com
The Marine, North Yorkshire
Seaside
The Marine is a four-room boutique property on the Whitby quayside. The views are fabulous: across the harbour are the ruins of Whitby Abbey; to the left, Whitby Sands. In front of you, your partner taking a shower. That’s right, the rooms have open-plan bathrooms , but the Marine’s laid-back charm will win you over. And the best restaurant in town is just downstairs.
Doubles from £175, B&B; 01947 605022, the-marine-hotel.co.uk
Yorebridge House, North Yorkshire
Countryside
Perfect for foodies with a love of design and the great outdoors, this former Victorian school lies beside River Ure in Wensleydale. It’s not the kind of place you’d expect to find rooms with Maldivian, French and Caribbean themes, but it’s done with style, and some have outdoor hot tubs . Wine lists and menus impress, with dishes such as deer carpaccio with compressed pear and chocolate oil.
Doubles from £200, B&B ; 01969 652060, yorebridgehouse.co.uk
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Swinton Park, North Yorkshire
Family friendly; countryside
Swinton Park is a handsome Victorian castle set in 200 acres of parkland, just south of Masham. Falconry, fishing, cycling and golf are on offer, plus a playroom and a private cinema, and if you go down to the woods, you’ll discover a druids’ temple. Rooms are Downton Abbeyesque; the kids will prefer the Lord of the Rings-style forest shacks.
Family suites from £305, B&B; 01765 680900, swintonpark.com
Augill Castle, Cumbria
Family friendly; countryside
Less of a hotel and more of a homestay, this neo-gothic Victorian folly offers grown-ups the experience of a rather wacky house party, and kids the chance to run amok in a castle with no noticeable rules. The 15 rooms are eccentrically decadent, dining is dinner-party style and outside there’s 20 acres of the Eden Valley to play in.
Family suites from £200, B&B ; 017683 41937, stayinacastle.com
Inn on the Lake, Cumbria
Countryside
Fabulous views, superb walking and old-fashioned charm are on offer at this delightful spot on Ullswater . The lake is the star: you see it from your Sealy bed, from the clubby bar and from the dining room, where head chef Mark Harris — whose five-course chef’s menu is a steal at £44 — is surely a shoo-in for a Michelin star.
Doubles from £225, B&B; 0800 840 1245, lakedistricthotels.net
Crieff Hydro, Perthshire
Family friendly; countryside
It’s big, with 213 rooms and 54 self-catering apartments set in 900 acres , and there’s lots to do, with 60 activities on offer, ranging from golf, riding and mountain biking to 4x4 driving. There are two pools, a spa, six hours of free kids’ club a day, and a pizzeria. If you’re still not tired after all that, evenings come with quizzes, a cinema and the odd ceilidh.
Family rooms from £243, B&B; 01764 655555, crieffhydro.com
Prices are for a night in the summer high season
