Whether it’s a special anniversary or you’re simply looking to spend some quality time together, just the two of you, a romantic cottage break is a great way to reconnect with your loved one. Offering more privacy and far greater value than booking a hotel, the Hideaways selection of UK holiday cottages presents a charming way to spend a few days coupled up in rural love-nest bliss.
The Hideaways brands feature over 800 places to stay, in all shapes and sizes, across some of the most beautiful parts of the country – including Cornwall, Cotswolds, Dorset, and Suffolk.
These one-bedroom properties all offer supremely comfortable double or king-size beds, ample living space for two adults to feel at home, and spot-on locations in popular areas of the UK. Some have added seductive touches, from roll-top baths to hot tubs, and from secluded picnic areas to direct beach access.
Small but perfectly formed: here’s our choice of the most romantic holiday cottages for two in the UK, from the Hideaways group of brands – you’re sure to find The One:
IN DORSET
Swallow Cottage, Nr Lyme Regis
Romantic break on a shoe-string? Here you go – Swallow Cottage is a charming single storey cottage that retains a number of its original features, including the whitewashed stone walls. The accommodation is simple and comfortable, with a double bedroom and an en suite bathroom as well as an open plan living and dining area, with a digital television and DVD player. The cottage comes fully equipped with a selection of DVDs, books and board games, so there’s plenty to keep you entertained. The cottage is perfectly situated for enjoying the coast or countryside, and for those looking to relax and unwind, there is an al fresco dining area in the enclosed garden. Guests can also use the heated swimming pool and hot tub while staying at Swallow Cottage (private slots bookable) – perfect for a rejuvenating dip after a long walk.
Dorset Hideaways offers 4 nights at Swallow Cottage, Nr Lyme Regis (sleeps 2) from £254, travelling March 2020.
Garden Cottage, Weymouth
On the ground floor of this sweet cottage there is a lovely sitting room and a light filled conservatory with picturesque views across the valley. The kitchen is bijou but very well equipped, and there is also a downstairs wet room. Upstairs in the cosy eaves is a low-level double bed with en suite cloakroom. The private terrace is the perfect place for a romantic al fresco meal whilst enjoying the wonderful valley views. There are excellent walks and cycle paths from the door of the cottage, and the South Dorset Ridgeway Path runs across the ridge a mile above the cottage.
Dorset Hideaways offers 4 nights at Garden Cottage, Weymouth (sleeps 2) from £317, travelling March 2020.
IN CORNWALL
Barnacles, Fowey
The perfect romantic waterfront hideaway for two, Barnacles is a perfectly snug and luxurious couples retreat. The property enjoys steps leading down to the sandy water’s edge and is an idyllic spot in which to enjoy a cosy getaway. Set in a building that was once a chandlers, where transactions took place from boats moored alongside the decking, it now affords views of the Boddinick Ferry and of the constantly changing river scenes. The ancient town of Fowey, with its harbour, yacht clubs and historic buildings, has much to offer its visitors. Narrow streets lead to interesting shops, excellent restaurants, bistros and pubs, also allowing access to cliff tops and small sandy beaches at Readymoney Cove, plus a myriad of activities such as sea trips, boat hire and guided tours.
Cornwall Hideaways offers 3 nights at Barnacles, Fowey (sleeps 2) from £538, travelling March 2020.
Sail Loft, Port Isaac
The Sail Loft is a lovely Grade II listed property with accommodation for two. It is a unique and truly delightful cottage in the heart of the picturesque fishing village of Port Isaac with the benefit of pretty gardens, a patio and parking. An idyllic bolthole for two, this romantic holiday home boasts an open plan kitchen/living area on the first level and up the unique spiral staircase is the cosy double bedroom with en suite bathroom. Port Isaac is one of the most appealing fishing villages on the north coast of Cornwall. The quaint working harbour has a daily fish market where you can buy fresh lobster and crab and is a wonderful place to observe the daily activities.
Cornwall Hideaways offers 3 nights at Sail Loft, Port Isaac (sleeps 2) from £391, travelling March 2020.
IN THE COTSWOLDS
The Granary, Newent
Situated at the end of a private half mile road, The Granary is a spacious and comfortable bolthole for two. The accommodation comprises a large kitchen on the ground floor, an adjacent light and airy dining area with french doors to the garden, and a first-floor sunny sitting room as well as characterful and light master suite. This charming property enjoys wonderful views across farmland and privately-owned woodland. The attractive enclosed garden is the ideal spot to enjoy romantic meals al fresco. Located at the edge of the Forest of Dean, guests have a choice of walking routes from the doorstep.
Cotswolds Hideaways offers 3 nights at The Granary, Newent (sleeps 2) from £422, travelling March 2020.
Inglenook Cottage, Broad Campden
Inglenook Cottage is the epitome of a chocolate-box cottage and has featured on postcards and in books. The cottage is bursting with character and situated with many other thatched properties in the idyllic village of Broad Campden. 300 years old, this Grade II listed cottage used to be the village smithy with a huge inglenook fireplace, complete with seat and bread oven where you can cosy up in front of a roaring open fire. There are countless exposed beams, a stone staircase and ancient wooden floorboards. The property is sympathetically restored with top quality modern appliances, a beautiful fitted wooden kitchen, and a cottage-style bathroom with shower.
Cotswolds Hideaways offers 3 nights at Inglenook Cottage, Broad Campden (sleeps 2) from £505, travelling March 2020.
IN SUFFOLK
Ayres End Studio, Kersey
Situated in one of Suffolk’s prettiest and quaintest villages, this beautifully converted studio is the perfect place for a romantic treat. The studio at Ayres End, once the inspiration-giving work place of author Hammond Innes, is a thatched building set within the charming, landscaped gardens of Ayres End House. The garden, originally designed in the 1920’s, is beautifully planned and maintained, which gives this stylish studio its completely unique and idyllic setting. The large open plan studio has been converted and furnished to the very highest standards with a number of finishing touches to make your stay memorable, including a Tempur mattress and volga linen. In the centre is a handsome, mahogany super king size bed. There’s a clever self-contained kitchen and luxurious wet room with underfloor heating. Guest are welcome to use the area of the owner’s garden in front of Ayres End Studio as well as having exclusive access to the medieval-style summer house – the perfect spot for morning coffee before a day’s exploration.
Suffolk Hideaways offers 3 nights at Ayres End Studio, Kersey (sleeps 2) from £365, travelling March 2020.
Flint Cottage, Wenhaston
This picturesque, terraced late-Georgian house, sitting in the heart of the beautiful village of Wenhaston, is an ideal retreat – particularly for couples who happen to be walkers, music lovers or bird watchers. The cosy sitting room features a wood burning stove while the light and airy double bedroom upstairs overlooks the property’s pretty patio garden. Wenhaston, set in an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty lies inland from Southwold, Dunwich and Walberswick and is close to the RSPB’s Minsmere nature reserve – the location of BBC Springwatch. Wenhaston is the starting point for numerous walks along the coast or inland along the River Blyth to Halesworth and Blythburgh, and is convenient for music lovers attending the Latitude Festival at Henham Hall, or the Aldeburgh Festival and Snape Proms.
Suffolk Hideaways offers 3 nights at Flint Cottage, Wenhaston (sleeps 2) from £375, travelling March 2020.
(All prices correct at time of publishing 28/1/20).