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Holiday Like a Time-Traveller, With These Authentic Vintage and Retro Stays

30 May 2023

If modern life is getting you down, why not take a well-deserved holiday in a different era altogether?

The great thing about time-travelling trips is that you get to choose precisely which decade you’d most like to explore, whether that’s the Roaring Twenties or the Swinging Sixties.

Our collection of vintage and retro stays are on hand to tempt you back to your favourite time, or discover a whole new one. Each boast authentic furnishings, period features, and a sense of style that promise to spirit you far from the stress of the here and now.

Often, the building itself tells intriguing stories of the past. For example, how about bedding down in a refurbished Norfolk RAF control tower, complete with the original art deco furniture and a 70-year-old bathtub to soak in?

Then there’s a cool Grade II-listed 1930’s retreat that was a working garage right up to the 1970’s. Just five minutes’ walk from East Preston beach, the light-up vintage pumps just outside offer a fun and cheerful nod to the past!

Looking for something a little more laid-back? A groovy Devon welcome awaits you in a unique 1970’s-styled seaside bungalow; bespoke-styled by film-set designer Marina Morris from authentic pieces sourced in vintage shops and at auction.

These one-off retreats are the beginning of our heady trip through times past… why not journey through the rest right now?

Author: Nina Jervis
Main image: Dimmet | Devon

The Control Tower B&B

Walsingham, Norfolk, England
A restored Control Tower B&B bursting with history, period art deco features and furnishings on a former North Norfolk airfield.
Bedrooms: 4
Sleeps: 2 per room
From
£125 / night

The Beach Stop

East Preston, West Sussex, England
A Grade II-listed 1930's garage, beautifully transformed into a single-level, art deco-style retreat with curved walls and light-up vintage pumps, just five minutes' walk from East Preston beach.
Bedrooms: 2
Sleeps: 4
From
£549 / week

Madonna Inn

San Luis Obispo, California, USA
A vividly kitsch, grandly one-of-a-kind resort just off US Route 101, where the good times roll and no two rooms are the same.
Bedrooms: 110 rooms/suites
Sleeps: Varies
From
£143 / night

River House

Rye, East Sussex, England
A vibrant, design-led 70's-inspired retreat that offers direct access to the shimmering River Rother, with medieval Rye and Camber Sands in easy reach.
Bedrooms: 3
Sleeps: 6
From
£200 / night

Seventies Studio Margate

Margate, Kent, England
A self-contained ‘time capsule' apartment covering the entire top floor of a townhouse in the heart of Margate, with fabulous views of Dreamland and the beach.
Bedrooms: 1
Sleeps: 2-3
From
£50 / night

Retro Staycations

Ryde, Isle of Wight, Isle Of Wight, England
A gleaming collection of iconic American Airstreams, each styled for nostalgic comfort and gloriously set within a 40-acre family-run farm on the Isle of Wight.
Bedrooms: Varies
Sleeps: 2-6 guests per airstream
From
£98 / night

Sands Studio

St Ives, Cornwall, England
Romantic Sands Studio is a retreat bathed in cool contemporary style, featuring uninterrupted views over stunning St Ives Bay.
Bedrooms: 1
Sleeps: 2
From
£640 (1 week)

Qii House

Lorne, Victoria, Australia
A bold and quirky architectural gem, superbly nestled within the lush rainforest ferns of Australia's Great Otway National Park.
Bedrooms: 4
Sleeps: 8
From
£369 /night

Snooze

Brighton, East Sussex, England
An award-winning, super-funky guesthouse that zings with retro character and quirky attention to detail, just a short stroll away from Brighton's iconic seafront.
Bedrooms: 8 rooms/suites
Sleeps: 2 per room
From
£97 / night

Art Deco House UK

Shanklin, Isle of Wight, Isle Of Wight, England
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

Under Catswood

Elcombe near Stroud, Gloucestershire, England
A thoroughly modern, architect-designed retreat, nestled amongst seven blissful acres of private woodland in Slad Valley with idyllic Cotswold views.
Bedrooms: 3
Sleeps: 6
From
£1140 / week

Rowden Mill Station Saloon Coach

Bredenbury, Herefordshire, England
A vintage-styled retreat, secluded on a green platform at a restored 19th century railway station, amongst peaceful North Herefordshire countryside.
Bedrooms: 2
Sleeps: 4
From
£210 /night

The Big Hoot Caravan

Cullompton, Devon, England
A retro, TV-featured showman's living van, vibrantly restored with authentic 1970s style, and secluded on peaceful a Devon farm that's surrounded by wildflower meadows.
Bedrooms: 3
Sleeps: 4
From
£95 / night

The Art Deco Apartment

Brighton, East Sussex, England
An elegant, light-filled apartment that's dripping with old school glamour, perfectly located in a chic Brighton house that faces the sea.
Bedrooms: 3
Sleeps: 6
From
£250 / night

Still Bend

Two Rivers, Winsconsin, Wisconsin, USA
Still Bend is a 1940s ‘dream house' created by a master, and perfectly positioned on Wisconsin's East Twin River.
Bedrooms: 4
Sleeps: 8
From
£368 / night

Vista Point

East Preston, Sussex, England
Listed beachside holiday home, designed by architect Patrick Gwynne, located on quiet estate in East Preston, West Sussex.
Bedrooms: 5
Sleeps: 9
From
£1000 (4 nights mid-week)

Cornwell House

Waimea, Hawaii, USA
A master architect-designed gem with a lava-rock hot tub, gently elevated over the Waiaka Stream for idyllic Hawaiian ocean and volcano views.
Bedrooms: 3
Sleeps: 6
From
£718 / night

The Glamping Orchard

Longney, Gloucestershire, England
Rural glamping in Longney, Gloucestershire; The Warwick Knight, a restored 1950s caravan with rooftop garden as seen on George Clarke’s Amazing Spaces, and Belle, a charming bell tent.
Bedrooms: Studio
Sleeps: 4-5 per unit
From
£70-£125 /nt

The Old Station Allerston

Pickering, North Yorkshire, England
Live the first-class life at The Old Station, where three stunning railway carriages await at the edge of the North Yorkshire Moors.
Bedrooms: 2-3 per carriage
Sleeps: up to 6 per carriage
From
£564 /week

Bertrams

Hartland, Devon, England
Step inside a classic mystery novel, in a characterful double decker bus set on the grounds of a North Devon country house.
Bedrooms: 2
Sleeps: 5
From
£135 / night

Railholiday

St Germans, Cornwall, England
View the best of Cornwall's unspoilt countryside from the window of your very own eco-friendly, lovingly restored railway carriage at Railholiday.
Bedrooms: Varies
Sleeps: 2-6
From
£80 / night

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