It’s always fun to get away with a big group of friends or family, but sometimes organising it can be quite a bother, especially if you’re talking about a week long holiday. If you’ve got kids you can only go out of term time, when the roads are busier and the world and his wife are out and about visiting the family attractions! If you fancy something a little quieter, something where you can go at your own pace, that takes less organising, the answer is to have a group weekend break instead.
That way you don’t have the complications that inevitably arise with trying to organise a longer holiday with a big group of people, like who can and can’t get the week off work, who’s got parents evening/school plays that can’t be missed, who’s got builders starting work then… you know how it is. Make it a weekend when the majority of people aren’t working and there’s no school – much easier. Group Stays offers a choice of weekend breaks; you can either book for 2 nights or have a longer 3 night stay.
Our 2 night weekend breaks mean you can arrive from 4pm on Friday and you can stay till 4pm on Sunday, which is so much better than when you have to be out by 10am. 10am? On a Sunday morning, when you’re supposed to be having a relaxing break? 4pm is much more civilised – it gives you time for a lie-in, a leisurely breakfast, or maybe a stroll across the fields or along the beach, and then lunch at a cosy country pub. You might even squeeze in a visit to a local animal park, or to a gorgeous historic house where you can amble around the gardens and have a cream tea with scrumptious home made scones and lashings of jam and cream! Perfick!
Our 3 night weekend breaks give you even more time to chill because you don’t have to go home until 10am on Monday! Yippee! That’s another whole night! Another swim! Another sauna session! Another soak in the hot tub! And how many games of pool/table football/air hockey can you squeeze into one evening?! It makes such a difference, that extra night, especially this time of year when you can spend the afternoon walking in the woods, kicking up leaves, or fossil hunting on the beach, and then go back to your large group holiday house, take off your coats and scarves and muddy boots, light the wood-burner and snuggle round with mugs full of steaming hot chocolate, marshmallows floating on the top, the smell of toast coming from the kitchen…. that’s what it’s all about, wrapping up a happy weekend with a cosy evening together. And getting up to leave for 10am on Monday? Well, that’s okay, that’s a perfectly respectable hour to be up and ready on a Monday so that’s cool.
Our large group self-catering accommodation is perfect no matter who you are. Whether you’re a group of friends, a few young families, a multi-generational family, or a corporate group, you’ll find a Group Stays holiday home has everything you need – and more. More because we know how important it is that everyone in your group is happy and entertained throughout your stay, regardless of their age, so we have play equipment, high chairs, cots and toddler beds, we have games rooms, swimming pools, saunas and cosy, cosy BBQ lodges where you can all gather round and toast marshmallows or sizzle sausages. If you want to bring your dog that’s not a problem as most of our properties are pet friendly and it’ll help to know that gardens are usually nice and secure so the blighter’s not going to escape!
If you’re celebrating something special, say a birthday or anniversary, or it’s a hen weekend, you’ll have a wonderful time, but make it really memorable by planning ahead and having a cake made for the occasion, or by booking up professional caterers to come in and cook a celebratory feast. If you take a look at our Extras page you’ll find details of our recommended suppliers, and do you know what? We’ve even got things like cocktail waiters and casino nights, and there’s a portrait photographer who will come and take beautiful photos of your weekend; everlasting memories of a very special time.
All you need to do is decide where you want to go, and that’s not an easy choice! We have beautiful properties in beautiful places, usually in the countryside, surrounded by the wide open fields and wooded hillsides of Devon, Somerset and Wiltshire, or on the edge of the Forest of Dean. If you want something less rural we have an impressive town house in Worcester, and a gorgeous Italianette style villa on the outskirts of Monmouth, right on the banks of the River Wye with the most amazing waterside outlook. We have big country cottages, wonderful country houses, rambling old farmhouses, luxury timber-clad lodges and some absolute stunners that have been transformed from centuries old farm buildings. Our large holiday houses sleep 8-30 people which covers most big groups, so get yourself comfortable, have a look, and once you’ve made your choice, check availability; that group weekend break could be closer than you think.