If you’re considering heading to the Cotswolds this summer, forget Daylesford Farm and skip Soho Farmhouse. Because for a truly unique experience, you could hire your very own private island.

Nestled in the middle of a lake and accessible only by boats (provided), The Island in Oxfordshire combines an unforgettable location with luxurious hospitality. Complete with its own bar, hot tub, terrace, plenty of socialising space and enough room to sleep up to 22 people, it’s perfect for escaping the city and taking time in nature.

In this home away from home, expect touches like matching robes and garden games alongside karaoke, snooker and table football to get the party started. Do as little or as much as you like while island-side, but we can guarantee you won’t ever want to leave.

From £1,400 a night (sleeps 22)

From £3500 per week (sleeps 6)

Live out your cottagecore dreams and frolic among the wildflowers with this quirky, romantic hideaway. In a secluded mid-Wales meadow, you’ll find the Wagon, traditionally decorated and ideal for a cosy weekend. Sleeping two people, it’s the perfect place to unplug and unwind just a few hours outside of the city.

Perch around an outdoor open fire, bask in the sun on the outdoor patio and let the natural beauty surrounding you do the rest.

From £105 per night (sleeps 2)

Set on a 50-acre private farm, The Hayloft is a charming period property with all the modern luxury you need on a staycation.

The stone-flagged floors, exposed walls and beautiful wooden beams ooze country charm, and from the locally designed furnishings to the locally sourced welcome package that greets you, Rowley Farm has thought of every single detail to make your stay perfect.

In this beautiful property, you have your pick of places to relax. From the two cosy bedrooms, complete with complimentary towelling robes, to the breathtaking upstairs loft, this is your ultimate destination for a weekend away less than three hours from London.

The Hayloft is surrounded by endearing local pubs, but to really immerse yourself in the countryside, why not take a tractor ride, pick seasonal fruits or see the farm animals? Make sure you don’t leave without a dip in the wood-fired hot tub: it’s truly the best way to warm up on a chilly evening.

From £199 per night (sleeps 4)

Crowned “the most unique place to stay” by a recent South Western Railway report, The Windmill is a boutique bolthole perfect for a romantic hideaway or for fun-filled time off with friends.

Originally built in 1891, the recently converted Windmill has stunning panoramic views across the rolling Suffolk countryside. As the evenings draw in, you can enjoy the uninterrupted view of the early Suffolk sunset from the comfy warmth of the ‘POD’ top-floor living space. In the smaller hours, relax and delight in the amazing and far-reaching night sky views from the fourth-floor balcony.

From £325 per night (sleeps 2)

For ultimate seclusion, head to Cantick Head, the Scottish lighthouse set on a 115-foot cliff. As its website suggests, steal away from civilisation to a historic haven with dramatic sea views out towards the Pentland Firth and Caithness on mainland Scotland.

Once the home of a Victorian lighthouse keeper’s family (the lighthouse was built in 1856), you can expect timeless comfort in instantly charming surroundings. Everything you need for a relaxing holiday or vacation is here, including a well-equipped kitchen, a family bathroom and a snug lounge that comes complete with a warming fireplace.

From £120 per night (sleeps 4)

This kooky Somerset treetop abode may give off a Hobbit-like aesthetic from the outside, but inside it’s blissfully luxurious, brimming with design-led features, from the hammered copper kitchen sink to the cabin-style bed.

Access to the treehouse is easy: guests receive a link to a digital guide that explains how to check in, where to find your torch and wheelbarrow, and then off you go. While climbing the wooden structure on which the treehouse rests, you’ll spot a an enormous outdoor bath – with festoon lights twinkling in the branches above and views for miles – that is every bit as romantic as you’d hope. Indoors, the bathroom comes with cosy underfloor heating, a rainforest shower and organic toiletries. 

And it’s the little touches that make this spot really special. Great thought has gone into making guests here as comfortable as possible in every way – local cheddar and cider can be found in your welcome basket, there’s a Nespresso machine and loading up the log burner with a supply of pre-chopped wood makes looking up at the stars from your private balcony all the sweeter.

From £205 per night (sleeps 2)

This beautiful medieval clock tower – part of Northumberland’s iconic 11th century Bamburgh Castle – has been lovingly ‘upcycled’ into a unique three-bedroom holiday apartment. Split across three floors and towering 150 feet above the churning Northumberland coastline, this tower and turret built into the castle walls is the best place to watch your enemies approaching (as many Anglo-Saxon kings did in the past). 

Views stretch east over Bamburgh beach – home to pristine sands, impressive surf breaks and some very rare insects. Inside, you’ll find things awash with opulence, from blood-red velvet to pretty antique chandeliers.

From £993 (for three nights)

In the coastal town of Barmouth, where the mountains meet the sea between Snowdonia and Cardigan Bay, you’ll find Twr Mynach (meaning ‘Monk Tower’).

This beguiling little tower feels like a tiny castle and dates all the way back to 1880. The owners, Henrietta and Pavlos, fell in love with the structure, which once formed part of a school building, and have transformed it into a playful, eco-friendly retreat, decked out in a quirky arts-and-crafts style, with stained glass windows, two unique double bedrooms and plenty of vintage treasures dotted about, from taxidermy stags to shop dummies (we’re also a little bit obsessed with the pink-tiled bathroom). Each room comes with its own terrace complete with panoramic views (the tower overlooks the glistening Llyn Peninsula and the much-trudged Wales Coast Path) and you can lose hours here watching the sunk sink into the horizon as gulls skirl above the flinty grey waters.

There’s much to do in the surrounding area, with the north Wales coastline and the dramatic Snowdonia National Park just a stone’s throw away, and it’s just a 10-minute skip to beautiful white sand beaches, or the network of National Heritage Walks that afford sweeping views over the sandy Mawddach Estuary.

From £115 per night

Fancy escaping from everything, hiding out on your own private island, with a little rowboat to mosey about in and no neighbours except for the birds? Yeah, doesn’t sound too bad, does it?

This fairytale shack in Suffolk delivers a taste of what life on the water’s all about. Accessible by its own little rope bridge, The Tabernacle is surrounded by 5,000 acres of nature and native woodland, where sheep and cattle graze and where you can lose yourself to the wilderness for a long weekend. 

Inside, décor is cosy yet exquisite, with a loveseat next to the fire and a freestanding bath for mindless wallowing. There’s also a hot tub, wifi, Pashley bikes, wellies, a smart TV, Hypnos beds and that all important Nespresso coffee machine. So really, the only thing that’ll make you feel castaway is the sound of the countryside burbling outside your window.

From £255 per night

Home to over 700 rare and endangered animals – from western lowland gorillas to grey wolves – the 600-acre Port Lympne Reserve in Kent is owned by the Aspinall Foundation. All accommodation profits go towards the foundation’s work that takes place around the world and there’s a whole host of options when it comes to resting your head, including treehouse rooms and safari-style lodges.

The newest offering, Leopard Creek, is where guests will be able to soak up 24-hour views of their nosy neighbours – a pair of critically endangered Amur leopards and two white rhinos. There’ll be cosy just-for-two cub huts available as well as three chic larger cabins. But the real centrepiece will be two luxurious seven-foot ‘wigwams’, which will sleep four.

From £699 per night (sleeps 4)

This old school bus began its life in the US, but has since been remodelled into a truly unique place to sleep, with an Aga, a hot shower, a loo and even wifi. 

This place is all about the setting though and from the bed you can wake to views of The Lake District through every window, with a firepit outside ideal for sunset drinks and a wood-fired hot tub which will have even the most stressed-out sorts relaxed in seconds. Further afield you are free to explore the bounty of the surrounding area, from wild swimming wherever you see the water, to hiking or simply holing up in local tea rooms for scones and cream.

From £145 per night (sleeps 2)