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Travel

Originally published on Monday, 28th April 2014

RURAL JUNKIES

Yes, we know Easter has just been, but with another bank holiday around the corner, we say pack your bags! But give the (easy) jet plane a miss. Urban Junkies has gone rural. Read on for our roundup of the best new country escapes.

CROMLIX HOUSE, DUNBLANE, SCOTLAND

Travel

Live the Highland life in the little town of Dunblane, Scotland. The Victorian mansion turned luxury boutique hotel may be owned by tennis star Andy Murray but don't expect any racket kitsch here. Instead, think tasteful grandeur, from the Michelin head chef at its restaurant, Chez Roux (yes, it's overseen by Albert Roux of Le Gavroche) and sweeping rooms and suites to its own private loch. And if you feel the call of the great outdoors, the 34-acre estate allows for deer stalking, archery, quad biking and game shooting. If you must bend it like Murray – there's also a court and practice wall, obviously.

Cromlix, Kinbuck, near Dunblane, Stirling, Perthshire, Scotland, FK15 9JT. Rooms from £200

ELMORE COURT, GLOUCESTERSHIRE

Travel

It's no secret – we're always in search of a good party pad. So when we heard about Elmore Court in the Cotswolds, we were practically en route. The owner, Anselm Guise, comes with hefty party credentials – he's a DJ and the founder of Glade Festival – and he's re-launched the house as an exclusive-use rental, meaning all eight suites (totalling nine rooms) are all yours. What we especially love about this house, besides the sound-proof ballroom, is its ornate interior circa Louis XVI.

Elmore Court, Elmore, Elmore Court, Gloucestershire, GL2 3NT. From £2000 per night

THE PIG ON THE BEACH, STUDLAND BAY, DORSET

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Get some sand between your toes at Dorset's latest addition, The Pig on the Beach. Set atop the cliffs of Studland Bay, The Pig has taken over the former Manor House Hotel, transforming it into a beach bolthole complete with boutique rooms, a greenhouse restaurant (serving up home-grown produce) and spa treatments. It's opening in June, just in time for summer sun (fingers crossed).

The Pig on the Beach, Manor Road, Studland Bay, BH19 3AU. Rooms from £155, opens June 2014

NO. 131, CHELTENHAM

Travel

Get away from it all at No. 131. Hoteliers Sam and Georgie Pearman have transformed a derelict 1820s villa into a 'restaurant with rooms'. Come here for the food (the restaurant, manned by Antony Ely has a best of British focus: think Cornish mackerel and Welsh wagyu) and drinks (highballs, juleps and sours) at their labyrinthine Crazy Eights bar. Sleep it off in the luxe and eclectic rooms: choose from Cosy, Very Good, and Excellent. There are only 11 of them, so get in quick.

No. 131, 131 The Promenade, Cheltenham, Gloucestershire, GL50 1NW. Rooms from £150

THE PORTER & HALCYON APARTMENTS, BATH

Travel

Been there, done that in Bath? Think again. Newcomer The Porter is shaking things up with a member's club-style venue in a sprawling Georgian terrace. From a subterranean speakeasy and dance floor to a library, private dining rooms, and restaurant with Michelin starred Rob Clayton at the helm, it's got it all. Well, almost. The rooms are located next door, in The Porter's sister property, Halcyon Apartments. High ceilings, fireplaces and a mixologist on call? Check, check and check.

The Porter, 15A George Street, Bath, BA1 2EN. Halcyon Apartments, 16/17 George Street, Bath, BA1 2EN. Rooms from £150

ST MAWES HOTEL, CORNWALL

Travel

Take a trip to the seaside. The Cornish coast is getting a high-octane opening, with Karen and David Richards (the brains behind The Idle Rocks) throwing open the doors to a reinvented St Mawes Hotel next month. With hotel director Tim House (previously at Claridges, The Savoy and Cowley Manor), expect a high-end vibe on the harbour.

St Mawes Hotel, 2 Marine Parade, St Mawes, Truro, Cornwall, TR2 5DW. Rooms from £110, opens June 3, 2014

 

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