Best Of

Best Unusual Staycations UK

Some stays are designed to be comfortable. Others are designed to be unforgettable. The properties on this list fall firmly into the second category — these are the places you book not because you need somewhere to sleep, but because the accommodation itself is the experience. The UK has an extraordinary range of unusual stays, from converted water towers and lighthouse keeper's cottages to underground bunkers and railway carriages reimagined as boutique suites. What makes an unusual stay truly great is when the novelty is matched by quality. A converted chapel is charming; a converted chapel with underfloor heating, a designer kitchen, and views across open moorland is exceptional. The properties here have been chosen for both their distinctiveness and their comfort, because sleeping somewhere extraordinary should not require sacrificing a good night's rest. Unusual stays make for brilliant gifts, unforgettable anniversaries, and the kind of stories that get told at dinner parties for years. They also offer a fundamentally different relationship with your surroundings — when the building itself has a history, the stay gains a depth and texture that a conventional hotel room simply cannot provide.