Booking a staycation in UK

[cocowhite]

I know we can't book anything right now, we usually have a holiday abroad with the kids in Spain or Portugal, we actually have our summer holiday booked for the end of April to Spain (was booked for May last year but obviously cancelled so we postponed to this year)

Doesn't look likely at all that it will go ahead. We all desperately need a holiday - as I'm sure everyone does! I'm starting to think once restrictions are lifted it will be much easier to go on holiday in this country.

So I'm not really asking AIBU (or maybe you think I am for thinking about booking at all?!) and more that I need some recommendations on where we can go? We've never had a holiday in this country to be honest so I'm clueless!

We want something that allows pets and a hot tub would be ideal! I'm thinking a lodge or cottage or maybe even glamping?!

Any suggestions of where is nice and child/pet friendly?

[MaMaD1990]

I don't blame you wanting to get away from home when restrictions are lifted! Watching GMB right now on +1 and they've said just make sure you look at the small print to make sure you can get your money back if you can't go due to COVID. In terms of recommendations, Cornwall and Devon are lovely and lots of places to glamp, kids to run around and take the dog for a walk. Same for peak district - beautiful cottages in that area and lots of space!

[ivfbeenbusy]

To be honest you'd be lucky to get anywhere decent - prices are sky high and everywhere booked up for the rest of the year

[ammary]

A staycation is when you stay in your house and go on day trips.

A holiday in the UK is just that:

[RancidOldHag]

@ammary

A staycation is when you stay in your house and go on day trips.

A holiday in the UK is just that:

Agree - no booking needed for a staycation

As you mean a British holiday, then are there any parts of UK you are interested in visiting?

[TakeTheCuntOutOfScunthorpe]

Northumberland is nice, so is Dorset. Scotland is nice once you get north of the Glasgow-Edinburgh belt - Perthshire and Highland are both good. Avoid the southern part of Scotland though if you happen to be English, you won't be very welcome.

Wherever you go, expect a different kind of holiday to one you'd get in Spain or Portugal, especially the weather.

[Okokokbear]

A staycation is in your own house so no need to book accommodation.

If you mean a holiday in the UK the Dorset is beautiful and quite warm.

[CrotchetyQuaver]

We have a weeks narrow boat holiday booked in October. We hope things might be like they used to be (to some extent at least) by then.

Hopefully not long now, I think once the hospital numbers start coming down then the lockdown will start to ease...

[SachaStark]

Remember, if you’re going to come to Cornwall, a la Matt Hancock, that our best months are definitely spring, weather-wise.

Fed up of whinging tourists all through August: if you book the rainy season, you can hardly be surprised when it rains!

[billybagpuss]

We’ve got 2 Airbnb booked back to back in august the second got cancelled, obviously it could be for any reason but I fear they may have realised demand will be huge and they’d undercharged. I booked elsewhere haven’t checked if the other is available again.

[toomuchfaster]

@Okokokbear

A staycation is in your own house so no need to book accommodation.

If you mean a holiday in the UK the Dorset is beautiful and quite warm.

This but please don't go to Dorset. It will be overrun again and doesn't cope well, look up what happened at Durdle Door last summer.

[CountessFrog]

So, two things.

I own a holiday property in Cornwall and actually we didn’t raise the price, though we did have to raise it slightly because the cleaner is charging extra for ‘deep cleaning.’ I think it’s disgraceful what some are charging.

It’s now fully booked for the summer, to my great astonishment, so if you want to book something then you need to get your skates on.

And we aren’t using it ourselves, we are going on a tour of the UK, mainly cities, but places we knew on the past with access to the south coast, new forest etc. There’s plenty of stuff still available to book.

[PoptartPoptart]

I desperately want a holiday too but I want to go abroad. I begrudge being ripped off, paying a small fortune for a cottage in the UK when it will probably rain all week

[Nighthawker]

Avoid the southern part of Scotland though if you happen to be English, you won't be very welcome

Don't talk shite, Edinburgh is frequently full of visitors from England, especially during festival season. Tourism is a massive part of Scotland's economy, all are welcome.

[NewYearHere20]

Like others have said if you want to book in the UK I'd get your skates on if I were you. I booked a caravan park back before Xmas and even then some places were fully booked.
As for recommendations - I'd say avoid Cornwall in August as it will be packed. The New Forest is lovely and has lots of camping sites. If you have a big budget I'd say look at Centre Parcs or Forest Holidays, both have lodges with hot tubs and lots of activities - but they aren't cheap especially in school holidays.
If you have small kids Look at a website "FarmStays uk" there's lots of different accommodation on farms - lots of them are working farms with animals so for small children can be fabulous.

[RancidOldHag]

Also OP, what might you want to do on holiday (other than lie around a hot tub)?

Because without some idea of what you might like, you're going to end up with a list of all the resort areas in UK and that might not be the most useful thing

[FelicityPike]

Avoid the southern part of Scotland though if you happen to be English, you won't be very welcome

What an absolute load of rubbish @TakeTheCuntOutOfScunthorpe
Absolute nonsense.

[SpiderinaWingMirror]

I looked at a woodland lodge with hot tub this morning. 2 beds. 2.5k for a week.
Jeez.

[Rhinosaurus]

Cornwall was awful last summer, and will be even worse this year. Queues of people trying to get in somewhere to have food or a drink, crowded beaches, crowded streets, nowhere to park. And agreed - stop with this staycation nonsense - it’s a holiday.

[notanothertakeaway]

Booking.com have lots of properties with 'free cancellation'. It's not free, you pay a bit extra for it, but it gives flexibility to cancel, sometimes up to just a week before departure

Air BnB do similar

Scottish school holidays are end June to mid August. Useful to know if you might visit Scotland

[Rhinosaurus]

@CountessFrog I live in a big apartment block in a resort area, about half of which are holiday lets - guests are leaving earlier and cleaners are starting later, but don’t appear to be taking any more time to clean than they did pre covid.

[CountessFrog]

Cornwall last summer was exactly the same as every summer. It’s always busy. I spent three weeks there.

I always spot locals on here telling people it’s not safe, ‘rammed’ and ‘awful.’

Also, to the poster who said that people booking in August (when it can be rainy) have only themselves to blame - you do realise that parents don’t get a choice on when the six week summer holiday falls?

Honestly. I read some absolute rubbish on MN!

[emmathedilemma]

wow to never having had a UK holiday!!
//www.forestholidays.co.uk if you fancy a lodge and a hot tub.

[CountessFrog]

(Rhinosaurus - I know. Mine are ok but I viewed a property for sale on changeover day and it was basically a pair of teenagers doing a half arsed job. It’s an absolute racket. They don’t even make the beds up anymore, so they are getting more money for less work).

[Okokokbear]

@toomuchfaster the thing is if we can't go abroad pretty much everywhere will be over run. Everyone is just going to be out to protect their interests.

There's photos of places all over being 'over run'. We normally go to Dorset but didn't last year and in all honesty probably won't this year either.

[SpiderinaWingMirror]

We were looking at southern Scotland last week of August. Really would we be unwelcome?