The humble holiday cottage is getting an upgrade. A new breed of five-star self-catering properties is aiming to compete with the top hotels by installing luxury spas and reducing minimum stays to one night.
As of next week, guests will be able to book into Admiral's Mews and Celtic Haven, two high-end self-catering complexes on the south Pembrokeshire coast, for as little as one night. Owner Philip Evans claims these are the first properties of their kind in Britain to be offered on such flexible short lets.
The developments are typical of a new generation of self-catering cottages, offering services and facilities such as chauffeurs, sports academies and Jacuzzi baths typically only found in exclusive hotels.
Celtic Haven has added a golf-course, swimming pool, cinema and spa centre since it opened five years ago, while the six villas in Admiral's Mews are designed to resemble smart penthouses, with DVD players and widescreen TVs. Personal chefs, tennis coaches and a sea-cat are available for guests to hire.
'This is a very different concept to the self-catering of the old days, when you went to a Welsh cottage and were told, "Be there by three, the key's under the bin",' says Evans, who is also a board member of Visit Britain and chairman of Wales Tourist Board.
'We are trying to create a UK product like French gîtes, ski chalets or villas in Barbados. People want more freedom and privacy, but the new luxury self-catering also offers a bespoke service. Staff can arrange activities or an in-house chef. It's attracting the mini-break clientele.'
He believes the trend will spread across the UK, and indications are that he is right. The operator Luxury Breaks has added two ultra-modern properties to its books this year: a six-room converted barn in Dartmouth, Devon, is minimalist, with a 'Zen suite' featuring a spa treatment room and an 'aqua suite' linking to an indoor pool. Another new property in Lanhydrock, Cornwall, has Philippe Starck bathrooms and a computerised music system.
Evans suggests these short-let, luxury self-catering properties now warrant being defined as a category of accommodation in their own right, similar to 'boutique hotel'. There are no plans to include them as such in the new AA/Visit Britain ratings system, but officials say it will be under consideration.
'We've seen a growth in self-catering upgrading to attract the short-break market,' said Patricia Yates, head of publicity for Visit Britain. 'The panel that rates the UK's accommodation is constantly monitoring trends and will change categories to reflect them.'
