Luxury self catering in the UK and beyond

When taking a cottage break in the UK or abroad many enjoy staying in luxury self catering accommodation.  Ideas on what constitutes luxury self catering varies from person to person.  Important to many though are factors such as king or queen size beds, nice décor and quality furnishings.  Also important can be quality fabrics when it comes to curtains and bedding.  Good quality linen and towels are essential too.  The main all important consideration with luxury self catering though is very often the overall feel of a place.  When looking to book luxury self catering accommodation do take a good look at the photos.  Video tours where available can also be useful for giving you a better feel to assess the accommodation on offer before booking.

It is important to some also for the property to be within attractive grounds or gardens.  Large country houses or mansions to rent conjure up images of grandeur and luxury.  Some country houses are more luxurious than others though.  

Some opt to stay only in 5 star self catering accommodation.  The 5 star standard offers a degree of reassurance in that the property will have been rated or assessed by the relevant tourist board.  Even so, variations in terms of expectations and ideas of what 5 star ratings mean abound. 

Increasingly nowadays many websites allow users to give feedback and rate accommodation.  Some find such feedback useful whereas others greet it with scepticism due to the difficulty in any organisation being able to verify the true authenticity of such user reviews.

In Europe as a whole and further a field there is no overall recognised kite mark for 5 star accommodation.  Within the UK, accommodation can be inspected and assessed by the relevant tourist board but other arrangements exist in Europe and beyond.     For details of the ratings given on this website see our guidance. 

With some luxury accommodation, owners and agencies go the extra mile.  With some they will even order in your weekly shopping by arrangement and at extra cost.  More common though are welcome packs and welcome hampers with goodies such as local produce or a bottle of wine to get your break off to the right start.  Some high end establishments are even able to arrange butlers and cooks to come in and cater for guests, for the ultimate in luxurious self catering accommodation.  Such luxury though does inevitably come at a price. 

If you just love luxury but don’t want a luxury break to cost the earth you may want to consider whether you can book a luxury cottage at the last minute and get a last minute deal.  Booking last minute inevitably means you have to be more flexible when it comes to where you go, but it is sometimes possible to bag a bargain even on luxury properties when you book last minute.  Equally though do consider that these properties are very desirable so likely to get booked up so if you wait it really is a bit of a gamble.

The self catering accommodation

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