Features

Fifteen of the Best Unusual Stays for Large Groups

10 January 2020

Remember those fun sleepovers you enjoyed as a kid? The ones where everybody ate sweets until they felt sick, then stayed up far too late, giggling the night away?

A large group getaway, surrounded by your favourite people, is the perfect way to recreate that relaxed and carefree feeling (not to mention the ideal way to celebrate a special occasion!)

Whether you’re in the mood for a sprawling estate or a casual country stay, our hand-selected rundown of the best group breaks will have everybody synchronising their calendars in no time at all.

Author: Nina Jervis @NinaWrites

Osea Island

UK / Blackwater Estuary, Essex

A blissfully exclusive private island retreat in the Blackwater Estuary in Essex with a range of onsite amenities.

Bedrooms: Varies

Sleeps: Varies

From

£250 / night (Puffin Burrow)

Aikwood Tower

Selkirk, Scottish Borders

Relax and enjoy the finer things in life surrounded by warmth and luxury, in an award-winning, authentic medieval tower set in the bracing Scottish Borders.

Bedrooms: 5

Sleeps: 10

From

£1,800 (3nts)

The Arctic Hideaway

Sorvaer, Fleinvaer

Recharge your batteries and find your muse at the Arctic Hideaway, an exquisite cluster of houses on the remote Norwegian island of Fleinvær.

Bedrooms: 5

Sleeps: Up to 10

From

£180 / /son / night

Champing™ Wolfhampcote

Rugby, Warwickshire

Enjoy an exclusive Champing™ stay at historic listed St Peter's Church, the only surviving building of the long-gone village of Wolfhampcote in rural Warwickshire.

Bedrooms: Varies

Sleeps: Up to 12

From

£49 pp

Cycladic Private Island

Cyclades

A luxurious and versatile retreat for secluded holidays and large group celebrations amongst clear turquoise waters and soft sand, infused with the magical myth and legend of ancient Greece.

Bedrooms: 4-9

Sleeps: 20+

From

£30,625 / week

The Old Dairy

Bloxham, Oxfordshire

The perfect English country retreat, peacefully secluded on the edge of the Cotswolds for a luxurious large family escape.

Bedrooms: 5

Sleeps: 12 (8 adults/3 children/1 infant)

From

£570 / night

The Clockwork Hotel

Burnham-on-Crouch, Essex

An enchanting group experience that combines puzzle-solving adventure with an exclusive boutique hotel stay in Essex.

Bedrooms: 11

Sleeps: Up to 22

From

£160 / /son (midweek)

Halula Gem

Bridgwater, Somerset

A seriously Instagrammable large group retreat with an epic kitchen disco and sugar-sweet interiors, set within the walls of a 13th century castle on the edge of the Quantock Hills.

Bedrooms: 6

Sleeps: 20

From

£3250 (2 nights weekend)

Art Deco House UK

Shanklin, Isle of Wight

Spectacular cliff top art deco house with stunning sea views and period features on the Isle of Wight.

Bedrooms: 6 (+1)

Sleeps: 16

From

£3,400/weekend

St Curig's Church

Capel Curig, County Conwy

Experience heaven on Earth in this charmingly converted 19th century church, with sociable village life and a backdrop of the breathtaking Snowdonia mountains built in.

Bedrooms: 6

Sleeps: Up to 16

From

£750 / night

Fair Oak Farm

Mayfield, East Sussex

A private 12-acre country estate in East Sussex, offering stylish self-catering accommodation in historic farm buildings, treehouses and Shepherd huts for large groups of 15 - 32 guests.

Bedrooms: Varies

Sleeps: 10-36 guests

From

£1000 (10-22 guests, 2nt low season midweek)

East Church House

Strathaven, South Lanarkshire

An elegant church conversion with soothing green views, peacefully located in the historic Scottish market town of Strathaven for divine group breaks.

Bedrooms: 9

Sleeps: 19

From

£907 / night

The Old Post Office

Harleston, Norfolk

A jaw-dropping, TV-featured retreat imaginatively crafted from a grand Norfolk bank, with sumptuous furnishings, complimentary cream teas, and a Hammam spa in the former vault!

Bedrooms: 3

Sleeps: 12

From

£180 / night

Salvation House

Bradninch, Devon

A vintage, architect-designed Salvation Army hall, breath-takingly restored as an ultra-luxurious retreat with a rooftop terrace and geodesic dome with spectacular Devon views.

Bedrooms: 3

Sleeps: 6

From

£300 /night