The fast-dropping temperatures and sunshine of wintertime call for some much-needed repose. But where to go when even finding the right holiday spot becomes a stress-inducing chore? Here at Livingetc, we have turned uncovering only the best hotels in the world into our day job. So if, suddenly, browsing for your next getaway feels too much of a task, you can leave the research side of things with us and rely on us to get in on the fun stuff.
Inspired by the stark rise of UK staycations we witnessed over the past few months, starting from the findings of our latest travel trends report, we have decided to bring you an easily digestible (and even more easily bookable) selection of covetable English breaks that pass the design check, taste better, and are comfortably reachable via either car or train. Because days getting shorter and shorter shouldn't take a minute away from your inspiration and relax.
5 UK Staycations to Experience Right Now
From the most sophisticated farm stays in the UK to unexpected urban oases providing restoration and calm in the middle of London, read our first-hand account of five English breaks worth experiencing in winter 2026.
1. Louma Country Hotel, Dorset
Louma Country Hotel, Champernhayes Ln, Bridport DT6 6DF
It's rare that a hotel feels like it's truly perfect in every single way, but there is a real sense of magic at Louma Country Hotel. Perched on top of a hill in Dorset, its vineyards stretching down to the coast, this is where to come if you want to sip the hotel's own wine, eat lunch, and feel like you're in France.
But who needs France when this family and dog-friendly hotel has it all: pools indoor and out, a spa, wellness workshops, horses, pigs, and most food grown on site. This is Soho Farmhouse on a smaller, more intimate scale, made for those who have tired of going where everyone else goes and are seeking a bucolic boutique experience instead.
Unbelievably, the in-house design team had never worked on a hotel before, having only done the owner's private properties, but their clever matching of fabrics from Christopher Farr Cloth and Jane Churchill with pieces from Soho Home and George Smith has created an assured style.
Rooms come with their own kitchen facilities (though the food at the restaurants is so good you're unlikely to need them), and each one feels secluded and special. Louma Country Hotel is not your ordinary UK staycation. It is a place you go to feel looked after — the very best of British.
Book your stay at Louma Country Hotel.
2. The July, London
282 Vauxhall Bridge Rd, London SW1V 1BB
You rarely get better connected than a hotel being a three-minute walk from London's Victoria station (and one minute from the musical Wicked, if that's your bag), but that doesn't mean that The July feels busy and bustling.
Instead, it's a haven of apartment-rooms, peaceful and quiet, all designed with their own kitchens (so you could, in fact, heat up an M&S dinner after an evening of Defying Gravity). A proper sense of home in the heart of the city.
Fettle is responsible for some of the best hotel and restaurant decor schemes of recent years, from The Hoxton in Rome to London's Mortimer House. Its style is unmistakable: primary colors on hi-gloss lacquer surfaces meet modern graphic fabrics used to upholster mid-century modern furniture.
Everything always feels plush, zingy, uplifting, and energizing, giving you the aesthetic equivalent of a shoulder shimmy as soon as you walk into the room. Make the most of the ground-floor restaurant and honesty bar before heading to your retreat upstairs.
3. Hyll, the Cotswolds
The Cotswolds, Charingworth, Chipping Campden GL55 6NS
There is little to do at Hyll, and that is the point. The hotel — newly renovated and rebranded, and launched in September — actively encourages total rest and relaxation; in fact, they even leave a little booklet in your room called Do Nothing, a manifesto to slowing down that includes meditations on time, boredom, and more. (Don't worry — there's also one titled Do Something if coming to a complete stop isn't for you, filled with local walks and villages to visit).
Set in the middle of rolling countryside, Hyll is fully equipped for chilling, with three lounge areas (including one with a record player and an impressive vinyl collection), a bar, and a restaurant serving a small but considered menu.
Youth Studio, the Manchester practice behind the redesign of this stylish UK staycation, has pinned down exactly how a modern country hotel should not just look, but feel. This is a feast of sensory delights: drawing from the landscape of the Cotswolds, there is locally sourced timber, hand-worked plaster, aged metals, and sculpted stone.
Bedrooms feature Naturalmat beds, the lighting is soft and low, and you're greeted with a Tivoli Audio radio playing classical music on arrival. Meanwhile, luxury VERDEN products in the bathroom create a signature scentscape. It is a beautiful hotel and — not to be cliché about it — feels like a genuine home from home.
4. Updown Farmhouse, Deal
Updown Farmhouse, Updown Rd, Betteshanger, Deal CT14 0EF
Although it's been in business for some years now, Updown Farmhouse is constantly evolving — the latest additions being rooms in a converted stable building and a new pool. These rooms are smaller, so if you like more space, you'll be better off in the farmhouse, but really it's not an issue, because you're welcome — encouraged, even — to make use of the multiple sitting rooms on the ground floor of the main building (and if the weather's nice, can set up on the terrace outside, too).
Plus, you'll likely be spending plenty of time in the beautiful conservatory restaurant — food is hyper-seasonal, the menu changes regularly, and you can sense the care that goes into each dish.
The renovation of Updown Farmhouse has been done in stages, but you'd never know — the new guest rooms link seamlessly to the main farmhouse, with the same rich, warm color palette and layered materiality carried through.
The design feels personal, executed as it is by owners Ruth Leigh and Oli Brown — there is even a curated selection of artwork from Oli's family, interspersed with pieces from his relatives' private collection. We came away inspired to try ideas out at home — the sign of a well-designed hotel indeed.
Book your stay at Updown Farmhouse.
5. Osip, Somerset
25 Kingsettle Hill, Hardway, Bruton BA10 0LN
Walking past the heavy wood and wrought-iron door of Osip, a 16th-century pub reborn as an award-winning restaurant with rooms and, since October, a craftsmanship-driven artist residency in the Somerset town of Bruton, you'll feel miles away from the ordinary world.
Immersion in nature is guaranteed at every stage of your sojourn in this masterfully revamped inn and working farm, whether through the organic materials, textures, and palettes punctuating Bindloss Dawes and Johnny Smith's interiors, the panoramic views that bless its gorgeous dining room, or chef-owner Merlin Labron-Johnson's beautifully layered, sublime reworking of its food offering.
Rural allure, supreme comfort, and characterful sophistication are the three defining features of Osip — in and outside of its four guest rooms. Staying true to the building's origins while simultaneously innovating it, the atmosphere of the communal lounge and dining room pairs textural materials like wood, exposed bricks, and cement with plush textiles, bright metallics, and one-off artwork.
Sculpted from stainless steel and timber and embraced by glass panels, the open kitchen epitomizes the vision behind this Michelin-starred restaurant and boutique stay, keeping genuine taste at its heart — whether in food, art, or decor. A creative retreat to get lost in, Osip is where countryside charm and inspired luxury meet.
Book your stay at Osip or read our full review of Somerset's coolest farm-to-table restaurant with rooms.
Stop Scrolling
Turn the reinvigorating feeling of your best UK staycations into your everyday with our edit of travel-inspired, aesthetic lifestyle buys.
Home fragrance and the art of 'scentscaping', essentially, the idea of creating environments and atmospheres distinguished by specific scents, are key components of your sojourn at any self-respecting English break. This VERDEN scented candle will make you linger in Hyll's repose-aiding ambiance, at home.
Why leave the delicacies of Osip's chef patron, Merlin Labron-Johnson, at his talked-about restaurant and guest house when you could take them back with you after your sojourn? My thoughts, precisely. This Christmas, make the festive season extra special with a curated selection of goods courtesy of Maison Osip.
Tell me the hotel soundtrack, and I'll tell you the kind of traveler you are. No, really: the connection between classical music and some of the coolest rural hideaways for UK staycations isn't a coincidence; it's a fact. And one of these retro-inspired radios is all you need to recreate their calming vibe in your own house.
Keen to explore more rejuvenating options for English breaks? Dive into our architecture and design-led edit of must-visit British spas for more wellness-oriented UK staycations.
