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The quiet new year: 5 cosy stays for a weekend away
BY JODIE STURGE | 13 JANUARY 2026
1/5
Strawtop Cottage, Adderbury
Strawtop Cottages are a cluster of three cottages that couldn’t encapsulate the Cotswolds more. They’re beautifully finished with no detail left undone. The winter sunlight that pours through the windows leaves no room for January gloom. Warmed stone floors suddenly make fluffy socks optional. There are books everywhere to invite slow afternoons by the fire, while the gentle scent of lavender quells any need to be productive. The kitchens are clearly designed by someone who understands the pleasure of a slow breakfast, fully stocked with local produce. Step outside and the Cotswolds unravel at your feet, with everything you need just twenty minutes away. There’s a feeling here that nothing urgent exists, which makes it rather perfect for a new year spent under blankets, away from it all.
Chapel Ln, Adderbury, Banbury OX17 3LY
airbnb.co.uk/rooms/660620546158054804
2/5
Papilio House, Bisley
Papilio House, perched discreetly on a private estate in Bisley, is your next girls-only retreat. Based in a beautiful farmhouse, Papilio came to life through Felicity Purchase-Hill, who wanted to build a space for women to do… well, less. Less proving, less pleasing, less scrolling. Everything we set out to do in the new year. Inside is cosy yet with room to breathe, with every room opening up magnificent space. Your mind, body and soul will be primed for whatever this year brings with an offering of yoga, amongst other wellness workshops. The new year is a chance to try something new, and Papilio House delivers multiple options in the most enchanting way. Leave the burned-out woman in 2025.
Bisley, Stroud
papiliohouse.com
3/5
Inkwell Cottage, Fulbrook
Inkwell Cottage is a wildly charismatic Cotswolds retreat that feels like staying with your most eccentric, art-loving friend. Set in the sleepy village of Burford, this cosy retreat was made for winter hibernation. And if your new-year-new-hobby is to learn to paint, then your vision board will come to life, for in the courtyard lies a dreamy artist’s studio. Along with a chaise-lounge and a pile of books, you’ll quickly forget about the outside world.
Fulbrook, Oxfordshire
uniquehomestays.com/self-catering/uk/oxfordshire/burford/inkwell-cottage
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4/5
Nocturne, Stow
Nocturne is an old townhouse tucked into the quiet of Stow-on-the-Wold. As a listed building, it’s top-to-bottom in character. Charcoal beams, worn stone, little quirks in the floorboards. But it’s not stuck in the past. There’s colour in the kitchen – blush and burgundy – and sash doors that swing open to a courtyard garden where purple wisteria climbs like it’s got all the time in the world. One moment you’ll be dancing outside with a glass of something local, the next you’re drifting toward the grand piano or curled up in the movie room. There’s a hot tub, too. And a snug with pool and darts that holds its own against any of the town's cosiest pubs.
Stow-on-the-Wold, Gloucestershire
uniquehomestays.com/all-properties/uk/gloucestershire/stow-on-the-wold/
5/5
The Bell, Sapperton
If the idea of starting the new year quietly and indulgently sounds like your kind of reset, Foxhill Maor delivers it in full. Part of the Farncombe Estate, it’s more of a private house than hotel – you’ll forget you’re there as a guest. There’s no checklists, no set dining times. Just a chef who will whip up whatever you’re craving, whether that’s granola at sunrise or a plate of scones mid- afternoon. Cake and cocktails in the Drawing Room? Help yourself. Midnight snack after a film? Just ask. Make your new year all about you. Eat where you want. Sleep late. Feel refreshed for the year ahead.
Farncombe House, Farncombe, Broadway WR12 7LJ
foxhillmanor.com
*No business featured paid to feature on this list. Everything on this list is our own genuine opinion.