Our pick of places for a please everyone holiday
Sawday's Expert
5 min read
Planning a holiday to keep everyone happy can come with a lot of boxes to tick. If you’re the designated planner, let us take some of the stress out of it for you. We've already done the important bit, personally inspecting and carefully choosing places with character and charm for our collection. All you need to do is use the 'Refine and sort' button to filter down, based on everyone's needs. Tick the deal-breakers, dogs and kids, then a few of the maybe-more-negotiables, and take your pick of places where both functionality and delight come as standard. Or read on to discover some of the places our team have chosen for their next adventure and the filters they used to find them.
Treveddoe Farmhouse, Cornwall
Sleeps 11 | Self-catering | Children welcome | Hot tub
The joy of Treveddoe isn’t just how much space there is, but how many spaces there are. It’s perfect for two smaller families with kids of varying ages, with an exciting attic room, a massive garden to play in and a good stock of board games. The kitchen and dining setup are perfect for socialising, there’s a study in case anyone needs to get some work done (or pretend to while stealing a moment’s peace) and the breakfast table and hot tub on the terrace are brilliant bookends to a day exploring from your doorstep onto Bodmin Moor or down to the legendary Kynance Cove. Top tip, if you go to Kynance, go as early as you can get everyone ready, to have the place to yourself for a bit.
Villa la Tosca, Bordeaux
Sleeps 2 | Hotel | Swimming pool | Accessible by public transport
Possibly one of our favourite places to stay in all of France is Villa la Tosca, a boutique hotel in pretty Taussat. There’s a natural pool, Eastern-inspired
interiors and zen gardens so it all feels utterly relaxing, but if anyone gets bored you can nip out to the l’Ile aux Oiseaux, Domain de Certes, an incredible zoo, or to the Dune de Pyla, the highest Sand Dune in Europe. Foodies will love heading over to Cap Ferret to find beachfront oyster shacks (walk ten minutes away from the ferry port and you’ll see rows of them) or visiting the remarkable edifice of the Cité du Vin, while older kids might lobby for a visit to the water slides of the nearby splash park.
Agriturismo San Gallo, Montepulciano
Sleeps 2 | Self-catering | Swimming pool | Babies welcome
Nicole Franchini, our Rome-based correspondent, has been banging the tamburello for agriturismi since the concept, something akin to farmstays, was developed a couple of decades ago and the beautiful winery San Gallo is one of her favourites. Now, not everyone is going to like the sound of living on a farm, but Italy does it a little differently. It’s about warmth and hospitality, not weeding, so those who want to pitch in with the olive harvest can, but those who want to sit by the pool are more than welcome to do so. The focus is on fine food and slow living, and anyone who has trouble sitting still can be sent off in search of the natural thermal spas, for a hike in the hills, or down to the village for supplies, which you won’t need because the San Gallo team have thought of everything, but it’ll keep them busy for a while.
Llaregubb Beach House, Pembrokeshire
Sleeps 6 | Self-catering | Children welcome | Pubs and restaurants within 3 miles
Llareggub Beach House is one of our favourites for the whole gang. There’s plenty of space for everyone and vastly different days out on offer, so you can take turns deciding what to do, or split up and meet back for dinner and nobody will be bored. A simple walk into Saundersfoot with its shops, pubs and cafés will be enough for some, while there’s sea kayaking, surfing and wild swimming for the adventurous. The only point of contention might be battling for the bedrooms, although all all are delightfully designed and have sea views, so there aren’t really any losers. The massive armchairs in the lounge are perfect for sinking into after a long day, or for the worn-out holiday planner to say, “see you all later” and dig out a book for some well-earnt quiet time. As for the name, yes it does spell that backwards and yes you do get points for knowing the literary reference.
Morland Manor, Cambridgeshire
Sleeps 10 | Self-catering | Garden | Restaurant within 3 miles
While the profusion of beautiful, old and rather fragile-looking things might rule out anyone travelling with toddlers, this is a great place for a bigger group of adults or families with older kids, looking to get out of London for a bit. At two-hours from the city, it should be reasonable for those not enamoured of long drives and the reward for the journey is disappearing into the woods of a grand country estate. The restless can head out kayaking, wildlife lovers can get guided spotting tours, the stressed can do yoga and the gourmets can take cooking classes. There’s also a pub a short walk away, and you know exactly who from your group is going to sneak off for a quiet pint.
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Ruth Richardson
Sawday's Expert
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