Stylish Self Catering Collection - Smith & Friends
Posted by Tamara on April 8th, 2008
Superstar-pirate boutique boat
Sleeps Eight: one double; three twin cabins.
Smith rate About £2,500 for seven days (six nights), per person. All meals, airport/boat transfers and some water-sport activities are included. Long-weekend bookings can also be arranged.
Wow-factor Thanks to trimmings such as Designers Guild soft furnishings and Cowshed products, cool Britannia rules the waves. Not just a pretty boat owned by Norman Cook and Zoe Ball – as well as standing out sails and shoulders above all the other charter options at its mooring in the Med, this head-swimmingly spectacular classic wooden motor sailer comes equipped with fishing rods, water ski and wakeboard, plus speedboat tuition is also available and seafood cuisine masterclasses from the on-board chef.
Perfect for… Extra-special escapes and celeb name-dropping.
COURT FARM Somerset
Farmhouse fabulous
Sleeps Two–four in the attic suite: one double and living room. Four in the cottage: two doubles.
Smith rates Cottage: £1,100–£1,290 for seven nights. Attic suite: £1,050–£1,225 for seven nights. The properties can be booked for one night.
Wow-factor With an ancient stone cottage and a 16th-century farmhouse suite to boot, Court Farm is the ideal escape for those craving stylish self-catering solitude. In their heart-of-the-countryside setting, yet only 20 minutes from Bath, both the cottage and the more rustic attic suite are steeped in high-design styling and can be booked together or separately. Raucous family gathering on a farm – or remote and romantic escape à deux… It’s up to you.
Perfect for… Family/friend escapes, couples seeking rural romantic solace
COATES MILL Gloucester
Country-cottage feel, townhouse looks
Sleeps Four.
Smith rates Friday to Monday: £465–£645 for the long weekend. Monday to Friday £435–£595 for four nights. A week, starting Monday or Friday, £680–£950.
Wow-factor The price for a long weekend. This end-of-terrace two-bedroomed cottage down a tiny lane a few miles north of Cheltenham is available for long-weekend slots – a rare treat among rentals. As well as offering all the creature comforts you could crave from a petite self-catering property – a fully equipped kitchen, super-comfy beds, a lounge with an open fire, a private well-kept garden – it’s also the ideal base to sample Cotswolds many attractions.
Perfect for… A weekend retreat for two couples, or parents wanting a break with their two over-eight children.
Hen-do heaven barn conversion with pool
Sleeps Twelve: six en suite doubles (or 24 if rented with sister barn Voltaire).
Smith rate Weekend from £2,250; midweek from £2,250; one week from £3,500 (low season), from £5,500 (high season), from £6,000 over Christmas and New Year.
Wow-factor This up-to-the-second stylish barn conversion is in the heart of a rolling Dorset dreamscape. The final word in deadly designer house-party hideaways, the barn boasts its own private indoor swimming pool (complete with blue twinkling fibre optics) and bubbling outdoor hot tub. Dripping with elegance, and surrounded by 200 acres of farmland, Burggraaf enjoys pure secluded splendour that’s just perfect for fabulous parties and heavenly hen escapes. If your party keeps on growing, sister barn Voltaire also sleeps twelve and has its own no-need-to-share swimming pool and spa.
Perfect for… Upmarket hen breaks, family pamper parties and big birthdays.
Contact info (for publication) www.smithandfriends.com; 0845 034 0700.
SWELL APARTMENTS, BATH Circus, Bath
Georgian townhouse apartments Sleeps Two in the courtyard apartment: one double. Four in the top floor Beau Nash apartment: one double and one twin.
Smith rate Courtyard apartment: £125 a night, Beau Nash apartment: £145 a night.
Wow-factor In the centre of the Circus, Bath’s most prestigious address, this honey-stoned Georgian townhouse contains two opulent apartments. Just steps away from the Royal Crescent, the courtyard apartment and the top floor Beau Nash apartment are unique couples’ hideaways, perfectly placed for the ultimate Bath experience. Original Georgian features weave grace and grandeur throughout; enormous shuttered windows and working fireplaces blend with candle-lit boudoirs, chandeliers and city views through sash windows. Affordable splendour smack bang in the centre of a spa city.
Perfect for… Girly shopping breaks, surprise romantic escapes and proposal-inducing weekends.
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