Cotswolds88

There’s nowhere that really does British country escape quite like the Cotswolds - and nowhere quite a cool to stay once you’re there as Cotswolds88. Co-founder Marchella De Anglis has turned the stereotype of country hotel on its head, and created a whimsical Alice in Wonderland feel to the place. Its traditional Palladian exteriors lead way to an eclectic mix of interiors with bold monochromatic striped wallpaper, perspex tables and huge four-poster beds. It’s an out of the ordinary stay that's well worth checking into.

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Staying Cool Birmingham

Who says Bank Holiday getaways should be all country air and coastal walks? What if you want to party? This is where Staying Cool Birmingham comes in. At the top of the city’s iconic Rotunda building, the Staying Cool apartments are a collection of 26 fully serviced crash pads that are done out in a minimal, Space Odyssey style with retro photography and Naughtone sofas. Depending on the size of your party, you can go for a single studio or an apartment with two bedrooms and you can make the most of the super-cute Mac Minis and Bose iPod docks before stepping out and hitting the town.

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Great John Street Hotel, Manchester

Another city centre hotel that’s well worth writing home about is the quirkily cool Great John Street. Slap-bang in the centre of buzzing Manchester, just round the corner from Spinningfields and the Northern Quarter, it's boutique hotel at its best. Think, roll-top soaking baths on mezzanine floors, hand-made beds, a Ralph Lauren designed library and a rooftop terrace complete with a hot tub, sun loungers and a hammock with views out over the Coronation Street set. We told you this wasn’t your ordinary sort of city centre crashpad...

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North Beach Tenby, Wales

Over in Wales, Pembrokeshire certainly has more than its fair share of great British beaches; its wild and woolly geography contains some of the most beautiful coastline in the country. It’s also home to a set of two very stylish apartments, by the name of North Beach Tenby’s Loft and Lux. There’s not a trace of traditional seaside hotel interiors here, however - it’s all block colour, dark purple walls, numberless clocks and some very chic Eames Eiffel chairs. Add in some striped cushions, a couple of swanky bathrooms and the apartments' own kayaks and this is one beach retreat we’d return to again and again.

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Gylly Cottage, Cornwall

What the Cotswolds is to the country escape, Cornwall is to the beach retreat. In fact, with so many romantic getaways and boutique hotels in Cornwall it can be hard to pick just one. Until you’ve seen Gylly Cottage, that is. You can rent the teeny fisherman’s cottage all to yourself in the gorgeous village of Mousehole and potter about its two floors, with their Louis XV-style bed, the roll-top bath and if the weather takes a turn for the worse, the roaring open fire. It’s perfect for pretending like you live in an ELLE decoration-style pad for the weekend.

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Like our pick of the best August Bank Holiday getaways but not actually looking to get away for the weekend? Check out our selection of best events in August.