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The Best Babymoon Destinations In The UK According To ELLE's Editors
From Cowley Manor in the Cotswolds to The Rose in Deal, these are the hotels and bed and breakfasts that will offer the slice of luxury you need before your new baby's arrival.
We can be a bit of boomers when it comes to the millennial titles we've come up for different types of annual leave. Be it 'going travelling' rather than just 'on holiday', a 'minimoon' instead of a standard honeymoon, and worst of all, a 'staycation' in reference to taking a trip in old Blighty, the fifty-something year-old man that clearly lives inside our head can't help but bristle with annoyance.
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However, somewhere between the lockdown-mandated UK-only travel of 2020 and 2021, our boomer brain has given in. We've embraced the cutesy names we've whipped up including the, gulp, 'babymoon'. Slightly grating title aside the premise (much like my favourite, the 'push present') is something we can very much get on board with - an excuse to spend time with your partner, co-parent or loved one away from the piles of babygrows begging to be washed, being fed, watered and generally doted upon by attentive staff.
These are the best babymoon destinations the UK has to offer before your little one comes along...
Cowley Manor Experimental, Cotswolds
Few things can prepare you for the beauty of Cowley Manor Experimental's grounds. The Grade-II-listed gardens, set in the rolling Gloucester countryside, were inspiration for Lewis Carroll's Alice and Wonderland and a wonderland it is. Including a lake, folly, chapel and water feature (where we spotted swans), you needn't leave the gardens during your stay.
Inside the Italianate stone house you'll find Alice-inspired interiors with a modern feel - checkerboards, hearts and clubs adorn the furniture, but it's far from gimmicky, in fact, it's incredibly sleek. We stayed in the Cowley Manor Suite, which came complete with a free standing bath, a wrap-around terrace and views of the lake.
Eating was, of course, a highlight, thanks to Jackson Boxer's exciting but classic menu, mounds of croissants were consumed at breakfast, fresh crudités at lunch and a perfectly roasted chicken for dinner.
If you're somehow still stressed out after resting on the four poster bed and hanging out in the moody bar, then try a dip in one of the two pools (inside and outside) or, of course, the spa.
Nymetwood Treehouses, Devon
Few staycations have the power to immediately transcend your body and mind to a place of calm like Nymetwood Treehouses. Located at the top of Dartmoor National Park, Blackcap and Starling (the names of the site's two properties, nestled among woodland) both sleep two (soon-to-be-parents) and come with their very own fire pits and fully fitted kitchens. On arrival, you'll be greeted with a wicker basket of local produce (including a bottle of bubby - yes, the non-alcoholic kind for pregnant mums) and be invited to snuggle up in front of the wood burner with a Netflix film or inside the super king-sized bed up on the mezzanine, which overlooks rolling fields.
Rather than partake in hours of walking in the nearby Park, embrace the chance to relax at the property, whether it be in the rolltop copper bathtub or while cooking a home cooked meal eaten on the balcony. Better yet, sit opposite your loved one at the dining table at candlelight and play the numerous board games on offer.
Nymetwood Treehouses is the sanctuary you need before the beautiful mayhem will inevitably ensue on the arrival of your child. Savour every moment.
The Rose, Deal
If a quaint, British, restaurant with rooms is more your speed, then look no further than Deal's The Rose. A hop, skip and an hour-and-a-half train from London, Deal is the ideal seaside spot if you're partial to drinking, eating, antique shopping and generally pootling about.
This eight-room, elevated bed and breakfast's interiors are only topped by the food - the breakfast offering in particular. Though, we were treated to dinner a five minute walk away in sister restaurant The Blue Pelican, that not only serves awe-inspiring Japanese food (we asked the waiter to order for us, and I can't recommend doing this enough), but also, an upstairs treatment room if dinner and a massage is your idea of a nice evening out (and whose isn't?).
With Tunnocks tea cakes freely available on The Rose's landings and free standing baths in most rooms, this former pub is a pregnant person's dream stay.
Le Manoir aux Quat'Saisons, Oxfordshire
Far from being a hotel, Le Manoir aux Quat'Saisons is another world entirely. With two Michelin stars to its name and a garden to table ethos that is evident from the moment you enter the grounds, staff joked to us that they made it their mission to overfeed their guests and let's just say they were succesful. From the welcome lemon drizzle cake in our suite through to the biscuits packed with our bags for our drive home, I have rarely been so full in all of my life.
Of course, the obvious stars of Le Manoir's show are both the seven course tasting menu that took us three hours to get through (the confit salmon with garden sorrel was mind blowing) and the charming gardens. However, the unsung heroes of the hotel are the attentive and friendly staff, who, despite the grand surroundings, offer a homely touch.
The Lakes by Yoo, Cotswolds
If you’re on the search for a lakeside haven surrounded by wildflower meadows and woodlands, and want to wake to the sound of birds tweeting from outside your open balcony doors, then a visit to The Lakes by Yoo is a must. Located in the heart of the Cotswolds, and just a short drive away from the town of Lechlade, The Lakes by Yoo is a cluster of waterside cabins and apartments that are ideal for parents-to-be wanting to escape the hustle of the city and indulge in some alone time before their little one arrives. With a woodburner fireplace in each accommodation, four-poster beds, a restaurant on-site, and lakeview accommodation, the estate also boasts the luxurious The Space by Yoo, which now includes a dedicated ‘Mum-To-Be Retreat’, which includes a Wildsmith Skin New Life Pregnancy Massage – a treatment for those in their second and third trimester – brunch in The Lakes Bar & Kitchen, and access to the spa’s range of zen facilities.
Lime Wood, New Forest
I genuinely believe it would be worth giving birth yearly in order to justify an annual babymoon to Lime Wood. Tucked away in a peaceful part of the New Forest, the hotel has a secluded, luxurious vibe, that makes it impossible not to relax the moment you sweep up the wild-flower lined driveway and arrive at the wisteria-covered former hunting lodge. While the rooms in the main house are elegant and all beautifully designed, some with vast marble bathrooms, we opted for more of a cottage-vibe, choosing the quiet of a Forest Suite hidden in the grounds of the hotel, with views over the woodlands from its private outdoor terrace. Suffice to say I enjoyed the deepest night's sleep of this entire pregnancy in its super king bed, thanks in part to the pregnancy pillow thoughtfully provided on check-in.
But the best bit - better even than the spectacular gardens, rambling walks on your doorstep, courtyard cocktails, and sensational Angela Harnett and Luke Holder led restaurant - is the Herb House spa, close enough to pad over to from your room in dressing gown and slippers. I still dream of the hours we whiled away lounging around the heated outdoor pool and wallowing in the hydrotherapy zone while enjoying the expansive views for true forest bathing. Don’t miss lunch in the Raw&Cured restaurant before a return to everyday life, and /definitely/ don’t scrimp on the treatments – the massage I enjoyed provided a total reset of bod and mind.
Until next time, then…
Chinnery House Apartments, London
For those of us who want to enjoy some time away, but already have a bairn in tow, hotels aren't always the best option. And while straight-up rentals very much exist, it's barely a holiday if you're still doing everything yourself. Enter Chinnery House Apartments, which are fully serviced apartments, attached to Georgian House Hotel. Offering the best of both worlds, these are hotel-grade flats with plush bedding, luxurious toiletries and polished interiors, that create a relaxed and homely base to explore the city from.
Start your day enjoying a fry up and waffles delivered in a wicker basket by staff and, after a day spend lounging in Battersea Park, enjoy a complimentary glass of bubbles in your private garden in Pimlico. Sounds perfect, doesn't it?
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