15 charming cottages to book now for 2025
From Devon to Cornwall, Scotland to the coast of Wales, there's something for everyone here in this edit of holiday cottages to rent and who doesn't want to spend an autumn or winter break in this most idyllic of British settings? Pick a Cotswolds cottage with a pub across the village, a secluded hideaway on the Isle of Skye or a picture perfect thatched cottage in Norfolk and get cosy by the fire, under the cocooning effect of beamed ceilings and lime wash walls. There's always a reason to book one of these cute cottages for a holiday but autumn and winter really make the most of an English countryside stay so get ahead of the game and get a date in now.
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The best holiday cottages to rent in 2025
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Alexander Collins1/15Atlanta Trevone, Trevone Bay, Cornwall
With uninterrupted views of the Cornish coast as it hits the rocky side of Trevone Bay, this collection of holiday cottages right on the shoreline are some of the best we've stayed in. Choose from properties of different sizes depending on how many you need to sleep but rest assured, each rental is as lovely as the next. The interiors are done by HAM and, having stayed in Atlanta House, I can testify that they are serene, lovely and having to leave was terrible. These are a home away from home in every sense, though you'd really rather stay.
Sleeps: 2-8 guests
Price: from £800
2/15Little Bennetts, Burford, Oxfordshire
The interiors of this house – done entirely by the owners – make it worth a visit alone, for the cosiness, colour and general lovely feeling they have created. The garden too is a delight, brimming with flowers and with ample space for children to run around. There are four bedrooms, sleeping up to 11 guests – including four children – two living rooms and a separate dining room and country kitchen. The cottage is near Bloxham, offering the best of the Cotswolds on your doorstep.
Sleeps: up to 11 guests
Price: from £725 per night
3/15Garthgell, Snowdonia, Wales
Overlooking the Welsh mountain range Cader Idris, isolated Garth Gell sits at the top of a steep, rocky track. The restored farmhouse offers a wonderful 'back to basics' experience: there are zero mod cons and a poor telephone signal, but the setting and decoration are as authentic and charming as you could wish. With nothing to jolt them back to the 21st-century, guests can enjoy a respite from the stresses of the modern world. From £1,400 a week.
Sleeps: 6 guests
Price: From £240 per night, min four nights
Unique Homestays / David Curran4/15The Fable, Perranporth, Cornwall
For those who idealise the idea of a cottage but prefer a few more modern comforts, The Fable in Perranporth, Cornwall is the place to book. It's a collaborative effort between Unique Homestays and The White Company, meaning the interior is a neutral haven of calm, swathed in soft blankets and cosy sheepskins. A sunken hot tub makes the garden attractive no matter the weather, and there's a summerhouse too for keeping warm and dry while enjoying the garden. It's truly lovely and a luxury experience.
Sleeps: 4 guests
Price: weekly stays from £1,550 and shorter breaks from £1,150
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Dean Hearne5/15Tolstoy Cottage, Oxfordshire
Alexandra Tolstoy's cottage is the archetypal country bolthole, filled with beams, flagstone floors and antiques. It opens onto a pretty, flower-filled cottage garden and plenty of walks to nearby pubs and villages. Inside, English and Welsh antiques fill the cosy rooms and the interior is truly delightful. Alexandra spent time restoring the cottage and reimplementing lime wash and all the aspects that give it its higgledy-piggledy charm.
Sleeps: 6 guests
Price: £1960 - £3500 per week
Paul Massey6/15Well Cottage, Ramsden, Oxfordshire
Well Cottage could just be the prettiest cottage in the Cotswolds, with utterly charming interiors by interior designer Laura Stephens, a very good local pub just down the road and enough bedrooms to easily accommodate six people. There are two living rooms, both with fires; one is more of a snug and the other an airy space for reading a book. Both open onto a light-filled farmhouse-style kitchen that will be the focal point of your stay. The bedrooms are equally lovely, though the master does have a bath in it which is an added extra that we loved. All in all, it's the type of cottage you wish you owned. It's on the eastern edge of the Cotswolds, so close to London and Oxford.
Sleeps: 6 guests
Price: from £325 per night
7/15Bridge Cottage, Peppercombe, North Devon
Bridge Cottage is a hidden gem in Devon, built from local materials and every inch as lovely inside as it is from the outside. There's a double bedroom and a single upstairs, with a kitchen-diner and cosy living room with a fire below. The interiors are simple and homely and truly make the most of the cottage lifestyle. Woolacombe, Barnstaple and Bude are all in easy striking distance, or there are many coastal walks to enjoy nearby.
Sleeps: 3 guests
Price: £360 per four nights
8/15Inkwell Cottage, Burford, Oxfordshire
Made from the same honey stone that characterises the prettiest cottages in the Cotswolds, this two bedroom abode is a delight. It's within the village of Burford in the area's AONB and is surrounded by lovely walks, pretty villages and plenty of things to keep you entertained in Burford itself. There are exposed beams, huge fireplaces and all the textiles you need to make it cosy as can be when you repair back after a walk in the local fields.
Sleeps: 2 guests
Price: From £1,195 per week, £950 per short break
9/15Bush Cottage, Bridgnorth, Shropshire
Bush Cottage sits in a lovely Shropshire valley, with pubs less than an hour's walk away – the perfect distance for a bracing stroll before warming by the fire. Inside, it's as characterful as they come with skirted sofas and wood panelling. The exterior is a pretty as they come, and the interior is replete with wooden, beamed ceilings and limewash walls. It's an idyll, but it is compact and the kitchen is especially diminutive.
Sleeps: Up to 4 guests
Price: £296 per four nights
AirBnB10/15Capel Iwan, Carmarthenshire, Wales
Rural Carmarthenshire is a well sought out holiday spot and for good reason. Within the area, this is one of the best rentals, fusing modernist architecture with cottage charm. It's an extended cottage with a new section added on and has been sympathetically furnished to suit both sides of its persona – brutalism and rural living.
Sleeps: 6 guests
Price: From £73 per night
11/15Treverra Cottage, Rock, Cornwall
With its thick whitewashed walls and elegant decoration, Treverra Cottage in Rock is pretty idyllic, with no hint of nautical naffness. The 18th-century stone building overlooks the Camel estuary, a short boat ride from Rick Stein’s Michelin-starred restaurant in Padstow. A swimming pool and hot tub offer warmer options if the sea proves too bracing.
Sleeps: 8 guests
Price: From £1,800 a week
12/15Coastal Cottage, Ceredigion, Wales
With the coastal path of Ceredigion on the doorstep and a rustic, beamed interior inside, this cottage is the dream for a winter weekend. Windswept walks on the beach followed by tea and cake by the woodburner – it sounds quite dreamy. Unlike many cottages, the living space is single storey and so benefits from a soaring, vaulted ceiling and exposed roof joists. The bedrooms are then on either side, tucked into mezzanine levels to keep them cosy and cocooning while affording more space to spread out downstairs.
Sleeps: Up to 4 guests
Price: From £725 per week
13/15The Crofter's House, Portree, Skye
The wild landscape of the Isle of Skye is enough of a draw on its own but when you add in this traditional cottage as lodgings, it's too hard to resist. The interior is soothingly clad in white beadboard, allowing the views to shine. A log burner keeps the cold at bay for when you return from bracing walks.
Sleeps: 2 guests
Price: From £155 per night
Airbnb14/15Ploughmans Cottage, Furnace, Argyll & Bute
This is how to do a rustic retreat in style. Looking out over Loch Fyne – the views are best enjoyed from the outdoor hot tub, terrace or roll top bath – Ploughman’s Cottage has sympathetic interiors that give a country feel but ample space, with a vast bedroom and bathroom, as well as generous living spaces. It’s a real find.
Sleeps: 2 guests
Price: From £225 per night
15/15The Riddle, Dartmoor, Devon
This two bedroom house sits on the picturesque village green of North Bovey in Dartmoor and is certainly one of the nicest of the thatched cottages in the village. Moors, glades and sheep-strewn fields surround it, with the village pub just across the green.
Sleeps: Up to 4 guests
Price: From £1,995 per week, £1,495 per short break
