You simply can’t beat a great bed and breakfast. You wake to the smell of coffee and something delicious sizzling away, wander downstairs to a table laid with homemade jam and freshly baked bread and pick up tips from your host on the area’s best walks, hidden gems and farm shops nearby. It’s hosted hospitality at its simplest and best – personal, generous and full of character. 

At Sawday’s, we’ve spent over 30 years curating special places to stay where warmth and individuality still matter. From Brittany’s seaside manors to Lake District farmhouses, our B&Bs are chosen for the way they make you feel part of the place you’re visiting. They’re homes with heart.

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Shortcut to special places

Carefully selected self-catering homes, hotels, pubs and B&Bs

Personally inspected

We've visited every place and chosen them for their warmth and character

UK & Europe

Our collection spans the UK, Ireland, France, Italy, Spain and Portugal

No fuss from us

You book direct with the owners, with no fees or fuss from us

Our most loved B&Bs in the UK

Hen Ffermdy B&B - Gallery

Hen Ffermdy B&B

Castlemorris, Pembrokeshire

Sawday’s and Channel 4’s The Great B&B Challenge 

We’re delighted to announce that one of our longest-serving inspectors, Nicola Crosse, was asked to be a judge on Channel 4’s The Great B&B Challenge, in which couples will compete to win and run a B&B in rural France. Nic is always on the hunt for that special combination of warmth, generosity of spirit and a real love of making people welcome, so she was a great choice. If you want to get a feel for exactly what criteria she’ll be judging on, take a look at our French B&B collection, so many of which Nic has personally visited, loved and welcomed to Sawday’s over the years. 

 

Our most loved B&Bs in Europe

Casa Porta Azul - Gallery

Casa Porta Azul

Boliqueime Loulé, Algarve
52 Clichy - Gallery

52 Clichy

Paris

Why book with Sawday’s?

✓ You book direct, person to person. No hidden fees – just genuine conversation and care. 

✓ Stay responsibly. We celebrate independent owners, championing slower, more sustainable travel.

✓ For over 30 years we’ve been finding special places to stay, guided by curiosity, experience and a love of great hospitality. 

 

Our favourite bed and breakfast destinations

France

France

Cornwall

Cornwall

Devon

Devon

Dorset

Dorset

Tuscany

Tuscany

Sicily

Sicily

Bed and breakfast FAQs

What is bed and breakfast?

  • Bed and breakfast is exactly what it sounds like – you get a room and something to eat in the morning. Within that simple definition you’ll sleep in palatial, gilded rooms, stylish apartments and old cottage garrets. Breakfast could be a giant fry up straight from the farm, a self-serve buffet or anything in between.    
  • A bed and breakfast doesn’t tend to have been purpose-built for letting rooms, it’s more like staying with a friend who has a really great house. You won’t find every room a standard size or shape and there probably won’t be locks on bedroom doors, uniformed staff or phones for calling reception. 

Are bed and breakfasts still popular?

They most certainly are and always will be. Some people take a dim view of them, worried about enforced conversation over breakfast and feeling on their best behaviour in someone else’s house, but those people have either been staying in the wrong kind of bed and breakfasts, missed the point, or both. The right kind are run by people who know how to treat guests, whether that means sitting down and planning an itinerary with them or leaving them in silence until at least after coffee. A good host is understanding and interesting enough to make conversation flow when it needs to and stop when you need it to.

Are bed and breakfasts cheaper than hotels?

They are often slightly cheaper, although it’s not really a direct comparison. Bed and breakfasts tend to be smaller than hotels, meaning a more personal service and greater flexibility. Generally, they have fewer staff and no restaurants, gyms or spas to maintain, so their overheads are often lower and prices might well be too.  

 

Will I have to talk to people at breakfast?

You don’t have to, but try it! You might like it. A good owner is a good judge of which guests are ready to talk and which need a moment to ease into the day, but a chat over that first cup of tea about plans for your trip is one of the best things about a bed  and breakfast. It gives you a chance to get excited about what you’ll be doing, swap suggestions with other guests, choose a lunch stop and find out where the locals go.