Big get togethers are all about gathering your favourite people, telling all the same stories, laughing at the old jokes and being totally yourself for a few days. It almost doesn't matter where you are. Almost.
A huge living room with space round the fire for everyone, a table under fairy lights in an olive grove or a spacious poolside terrace does help to bring a little extra magic and maybe add a new story or two to the rotation.
Take a look at all our special places to stay for quality time with the people you love - https://www.sawdays.co.uk/places-to-stay
📍 Villa Oliveto, Marche
Are you kidding me?
If you listen carefully, you'll hear Emmi, who inspected Heredad Beragu Hotel for us, unable to stop herself whispering exactly that, as she sees the hills of northern Spain through the picture windows.
Owners Ramon and Patxi decamped from San Sebastian, one of the country's finest culinary centres, bringing with them a love of food which you'll experience in full during meals on the scenic terrace.
The area you're looking out on is a mix of historic sites and wonderful wilderness, with the palace of Olite and the abbey at Leyre both well worth a visit and some great hiking through the Lumbier Canyon, following the course of the Irati river as vultures wheel overhead.
📍 Heredad Beragu Hotel
🔗 https://www.sawdays.co.uk/spain/navarre/navarra/heredad-beragu-hotel/
The island of Ventotene is less than a square mile of volcanic rock sitting in the Tyrrhenian Sea off the coast near Naples. On our recent trip to inspect Casa Novecento, we found it to be a delightfully unspoilt place. Maybe it was because we were there out of season, but it felt as if tourism had only lightly touched it.
Once we saw what it offered - the roof terrace overlooking clear blue water and the chance to live the quiet island life - we welcomed Casa Novecento straight into the collection.
See more here:
https://www.sawdays.co.uk/italy/lazio/latina/casa-novecento/
📍 Casa Novecento, Ventotene, Italy
Sadly, the sweet peas have all gone for the year, but there's plenty more coming up in the gardens of The Netherwood Estate, designed by Chelsea Flower Show multi-gold medal winner Robert Myers. You can take a tour from your front door as you stay The Freeth, a beautiful cottage buried deep in the grounds.
See more here:
https://www.sawdays.co.uk/britain/england/herefordshire/the-freeth/
The weather wasn't the best when we visited The Ferry House, but at least it's good for the garden, which is in turn good for the menu. The poly tunnels and beds are at the back of the pub, leaving the terrace, with lovely views over the Swale, free for you to sit at as you enjoy food that's travelled only yards from soil, to kitchen, to table.
Take a closer look here:
https://www.sawdays.co.uk/britain/england/kent/the-ferry-house/
📍The Ferry House, Harty, Kent
Our inspector, Nicole, went down to Lelant in Cornwall, to take a look at a B&B that instantly drew her in with a contemporary style softened by a feeling of homeliness.
Lelant (or Uny Lelant, to give its full name, derived from the Cornish for church and a local patron saint) is one of Cornwall's lesser-known towns and all the better for it.
There's a pub a couple of hundred yards away, a restaurant in the village and, if you want to visit the Tayte gallery or fancy shops, you can be in St Ives in ten minutes via the train that runs along the cliffs with incredible sea views.
📍The Firs, Lelant, Cornwall
We can confidently say, based on extensive personal experience, that this is the sort of place to settle in for a two-coffee, three-course, whole-newspaper breakfast. Throw in a swim and maybe a massage in the upstairs therapy rooms and you have yourself a really lovely start to the weekend. It's a dangerous place to have so close to the office.
📍Lido Townhouse, Clifton, Bristol
The Peak District, surrounded by Manchester, Leeds, Nottingham, Derby, Wolverhampton and Stoke, is an oasis, a refuge from urban clamour. Take one look at a light pollution map of the UK and you'll see what we mean.
It can seem unreal that only a few miles from all those cities are places like this, The Old Granary, where a clear day shows you nothing but hills and a clear night is full of stars.
Having a hot tub to enjoy them both from just adds to the sense that you've stepped far away from stress for a while.
📍The Old Granary Matlock, Wheatcroft, Derbyshire
📸 The Old Granary Matlock
If your first thought on seeing this was something like, "that wisteria must take some stopping" then maybe you shouldn't look any further! The rapid climber is just one of many wonderful features of the gardens at The Freeth, originally designed by multi gold medal winner at Chelsea, Robert Myers.
There's a wildness to the place, a feeling that nature is always on the verge of overwhelming everything in a sea of foliage. At the centre of it all, however, is a charming, calming old farmhouse with enough space to host a milestone birthday or a memorable family escape.
Come here to relax, visit the owners' Green Michelin Star restaurant and stroll the spectacular grounds, safe in the knowledge that you're not the one that has to tend them.
📍 The Freeth, Bromyard, Herefordshire
📸 The Freeth
No wind, not too hot, not too cold. You can settle your feet into a good rhythm and not worry about stopping to frantically take off a layer, but you're not sprinting to try and warm up.
You can also have a post-walk pint in the garden before moving inside to eat by the fire and neither feels strange. If you love a baking hot day or driving snow, we salute you, but for us this is the perfect hiking weather.
Photos are from a small Devon village very dear to one of our team, but there are plenty of places across the county where you can find something similar.
Take a look at what we think are five of the best pub walks in Devon:
sawdays.co.uk/detour/inspiration/the-best-pub-walks-in-devon/
This is writer Lottie Gross and her Manchester Terrier, Arty, enjoying a bit of downtime in the garden. They're both pretty tired after researching and writing the book that's blowing in the breeze. It's called Dog Days Out, and contains 365 things to do in the UK and Ireland with your dog, along with vital local information on rules and restrictions, and a basket full of our dog-friendly places to stay.
You can get your copy by following the link below, and let it lead you to hundreds of moments like this one, with your dog bounding around while you look back on one adventure and forward to the next.
shop.sawdays.co.uk/products/dog-days-out
This is Flo, who will not stop running. Bev, behind the camera, is doing her best to keep track of her. They're on a visit to Dorset and it's hard to tell if Flo is more excited by the beach, the hills or the place they've settled for a few days, a cottage known as 53 Durweston.
From there, they had the option of tearing up to the old fort on Hod Hill, where Flo could chase butterflies among the wildflowers, charging through Blandford Forum, sprinting round Lulworth Cove and plenty more.
Wherever they went, they went at speed, thanks to Flo. There's a big sofa in the place somewhere, but we doubt that Bev ever got the chance to sit on it.
Explore our collection of dog-friendly breaks 🐾
sawdays.co.uk/collections/dog-friendly-breaks/
📍53 Durweston, Blandford Forum, Dorset
