Our life motto is champagne lifestyle, lemonade budget, that is until we can switch the lemonade out and really live to our full potential, we're working on it. In the meantime we have to think of ways to be able to do all the things we love whilst sticking to our means and for staycations we simply can’t justify £300 a night unless it’s a special occasion, the compromise?? Find an adorable airbnb for half the price and visit our dream hotels for lunches, afternoons, teas and dinner and maybe splurge for a nights stay at the end of the trip.
See our list below on the country hotels we love with restaurants we love more meaning we can live our boujjie lifestyle just on a budget!
Now don’t get us wrong, the rooms at the wild rabbit are beautiful, stripped back luxury and the perfect base for a trip to the Cotswolds however, our favourite part of our stay was sitting in the bar across from the open fire, with a botanical G&T in hand waiting for our table in their main restaurant. Expect british produce, seasonal ingredients from their very own daylesford farm (which we highly recommend you visit) and a constantly changing menu created by head chef nathan eades who previously worked in a michelin starred restaurant. A must visit if you’re cruising through the Cotswolds chocolate box towns.
We’re ones to take our own advice and have booked to visit the newt for a family lunch as we’ve (shocked) overbooked ourselves since coming out of lockdown and can’t justify another hotel booking, even if it is as beautiful as this one *silently cries*. We’ve chosen the garden eatery for a light vegetable led lunch before being able to wonder the very garden our lunch will come from. If you wish to eat in their gatehouse restaurant you will need a member day pass. Come back in a few months for our verdict on the menu but we’re certain we’re not going to be disappointed.
we’ve been lucky enough to stay at the pig in combe before and it was so good we’ve booked to go back for a mother/daughter lunch later in the year, because again we’ve over booked oursel- you get the picture. Their motto? From plot to plate, another hotel that takes homegrown local produce to the next level with their own kitchen garden and menus that change by the minute depending on what the foragers supply. Their main restaurants focuses on simple british food set in the rustic chic design of their hotels and grounds and is the ultimate wholesome dining experience. Just fancy a passing by snack? Each hotel has a wood oven collection point serving smokey flatbreads on their terrace!
I’m sure if you follow us you saw our visit to the birch community, and no we’re not done sharing photos of that trip yet, let us live! Only an hour from london it’s a perfect escape from the city, even for a day! Eat at the zebra riding club, a straightforward unfussy restaurant available to non members with an interior to die by taking inspiration from nature. Choose from 3 set menus which showcase the best they have to offer from their own farm and gardens. Take the overground direct from liverpool street to theobalds grove station which is 5 minutes away by car.
The hotel that has been top of our list for too long so we finally booked it! Only two more weeks and we finally get to stay at heckfield however, if you can’t snag a room at this stunning hotel we recommend getting yourself a dinner reservation at their beautiful restaurant, marle, offering sweeping views over the grounds and responsibly sourced ingredients, it’s a perfect date night location. If you’re visiting over the weekend, get a booking at the glass house for an idyllic afternoon tea. Set within the walled gardens among lavender and wisteria we can think of worse ways to spend a sunday.
A gorgeous country estate which we’d had our eye on for a while but is a pricey number if you’re looking to stay which is exactly why we booked an afternoon tea. Served in the the great hall these finger sandwiches are a great way to experience the A* service this hotel offers without the A* price tag. If you fancy indulging you can splash the cash on their veuve clicquot red velvet afternoon tea. After you’ve eaten so many finger sandwiches you could pass out (just us??) it’s time for a stroll round the grounds. An additional £10 is added to your bill by the national trust meaning you can wander the grounds, walled gardens and woodlands and walk off those scones.
We recently toured scotland in a rented campervan but had to stop off at the fife arms, another hotel we have been eyeing up for a while but never could justify the journey or the price. Instead we booked dinner, as we were passing through braemar, at the flying stag, their very own posh pub and proceeded to taste test all the local gins, we’re cultured like that! We’d highly recommend the fish and chips to help wash down all those drinks…After dinner we headed to elsa’s bar for fancy cocktails. Talk about champagne lifestyle lemonade budget.
One hotel we’ve never visited or stayed at is limewood. We’ve known about this place forever but the hefty price tag that accompanies a room has stopped us making the trip, instead book a table at hartnett holder & co, a relaxed restaurant bringing a little slice of Italy to the new forest whilst still nodding to the british seasons.
A newly refurbished 17th century couch house on the outskirts of oxford, we’ve seen the famous red and white striped parasols flooding our insta feed since they reopened this year which had made us even more desperate to pay a visit. This cosy country pub is perfect for a sunday roast fit for a duke or an alfresco lunch in the sun (who’s she??). This place is added to our ever growing list.
Another cotswold beauty, thyme is a sandstone country house that we’ve recommended before because we can’t get enough! This summer their ox barn restaurant is offering a summer botanical set lunch, taking inspiration from the flowers and herbs found in their very own garden. Wash down the seasonal dishes with a glass of rosé before heading to the baa bar for a cocktail from their floral menu. They know how to keep a theme!
Perched on a cliff in a world of their own gara rock is surrounded by countryside and sea views. The price tag to sleep with these stunning sea views is one our bank account can’t help us out with just yet, so instead grab a table at their in house restaurant which includes the sweeping sea and cliff views. Start with a leisurely lunch and a glass of something chilled or enjoy the catch of the day at dinner from the over the coals menu. Just passing by? Make sure to check out the garavan, a new foods and drink van perched on the cliff top. A perfect place for hikers to stop for a bite and a view.
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