Inspired weekend plans for breaks in the countryside and the city

Need a break from the daily grind but don’t have time for a full-blown holiday? Our guide to the UK’s best luxury weekend breaks will give you tips on where to go and what to see and will help you do so in style, too, whether you fancy a chic city escape or a romantic countryside bolthole.

Romantic Luxury Weekend Breaks UK

Taking time out from your regular routine and splashing the cash on a plush bolthole is the perfect way to inject a little romance back into your relationship. Here’s the lowdown on where you can do this, whether you want to chill out with your significant other in the country, in the city or by the seaside.

Cosy up in the Cotswolds

Holiday lettings in the Cotswolds give you access to some of the most romantic and quintessentially English landscapes in the country. You could choose to hole up in a honey-coloured character cottage in a quaint village like Lower Slaughter or in a thatched country idyll in the depths of the Cotswold hills: either way you’ll be faced with more romantic scenery than you can handle. And when you tear yourself away from your own little slice of countryside perfection, there’s plenty of romantic activity to be had. Think fine dining in countryside restaurants, sitting by the fire in cosy pubs and taking gentle strolls through woodland and hills.

Edinburgh

Edinburgh is an ideal destination for a luxury romantic weekend. The Scottish capital is not only incredibly beautiful, with a charming old town overshadowed by the dramatic 16th-century Edinburgh Castle, it’s also full of world-class restaurants, candlelit bars, inspiring modern and classical art galleries, and a multitude of performance venues, if you want to enjoy a night out of culture with your other half. Your holiday rental could come in the form of an ultra-modern loft apartment or a cosy, high-end studio in a historic listed building. Either way you’ll be well placed to enjoy everything this city has to offer.

Devon

Head for the coast for your luxury weekend away and you can ramp up the romance with cliffside strolls, bracing dips in the sea and maybe even a sunset boat trip or two. You could go for a high-end cottage rental near a romantic coastal hideaway such as Clovelly, a picture perfect village with a steep cobbled main street and wide-ranging views over the Bristol Channel. Otherwise you could opt for a boutique modern flat in the rather more ritzy Salcombe, where as well as harbour views and gorgeous beaches, you’ll find fine dining, chic boutiques and galleries aplenty.

Luxury Weekend Breaks in UK Cities

If your idea of luxury involves gourmet dining and shopping in high-end stores, then you should consider an urban adventure. Whether you choose London, Manchester or another UK hotspot, the UK’s cities have some of the best dining, shopping and luxury digs in the world.

Hit the bright lights of London

When it comes to high-end high jinks, you’re spoilt for choice in England’s capital city, whether you want to indulge in Michelin Star dining or get in some serious shopping action at the boutiques of Bond Street and Knightsbridge. Holiday rentals in London are as swish as they come. You could choose to stay in a serviced apartment with a doorman, chill out by the river in a plush houseboat, or even rent an entire town house to yourself a fancy neighbourhood such as Chelsea or Primrose Hill. And if you can bear to tear yourself away from your luxury pad, a whole world of indulgent entertainment and top notch culture sits right on your doorstep.

Explore shopping and dining in Manchester

Manchester is one of the UK’s most vibrant, diverse and welcoming cities. It’s smaller and easier to negotiate on foot than London but it still has plenty to offer for people in search of the finer things in life. Opt to stay in a hip holiday rental in the city’s Northern Quarter and you can spend your cash on rare vinyl, first edition books and single-origin coffee. A luxe loft apartment near Canal Street, meanwhile, will give you access to one of the UK’s famous Gay districts, and a flat in a gracious historic building in the city centre will put you near high-end dining, glamorous bars and plenty of designer boutiques and department stores.