Blustery autumnal walks, Trivial Pursuit and a box of videos – such treats once provided entertainment enough for a weekend holed up in a rental cottage with family and friends. But a new breed of accommodation providers are injecting a fresh lease of life into the traditional self-catering model by laying on "bespoke house parties" for guests.
Meals cooked in-house by a celebrity or Michelin-starred chef, make-up lessons from Ruby Hammer, and tuition in magic tricks, hot-air ballooning or home-brewing are among the services available to groups booking a stay at the latest opening to follow the trend.
How impressed would your friends be to find Oz Clarke pouring the wine at dinner? Or to follow their noses to the kitchen to see the Hairy Bikers at work? All this can be arranged at Temple Guiting, a luxurious 20-person manor house in the Cotswolds, by designer and food writer Sophie Conran – with the help of her starry contacts book.
"If the guests' budget doesn't allow for the likes of Fergus Henderson or Peter Gordon then we have local chefs that can come in, which makes it more affordable," said Conran.
So while the celeb chefs can cost £1,000 for a day's cookery course, hiring the property can work out from £250pp for a weekend for the accommodation only, or from £400pp including (non-celeb) meals.
Another new option, which launched this month for extravagant groups of up to 36 people, is Inishturkbeg a stylish retreat on its own private island off County Mayo in Ireland. In addition to its games room, gym, cinema, spa and all-weather sports pitch, it offers horse-riding lessons from the island's own stud-farm, sailing classes and meals cooked by a personal chef. "The luxury here is to do what you like, when you like, how you like, and to be assisted in doing it," said founder Nadim Sadek. It costs from €100pp for 17 or more guests (room only), activities are from €10pp and meals from €40pp.
The Country Castle Company rents vast pads across the UK, with extras such as a nightclub with DJ, a boat with cabins and crew, murder mystery experiences, dance lessons and fire-eaters laid on. "My company specialises in dreams, and almost every one of our guests asks for something bespoke," said founder Jennie Verlag. "In times of increased stress and pressure the appeal of having somebody else sort everything out is irresistible."
And it's not just the high end of the market that's getting in on the act. Vintage Vacations, a boutique campsite on the Isle of Wight, launched bespoke, old-fashioned "jamborees" for large groups this summer – essentially your own private festival – with vintage Airstream caravans and bell tents arranged in a private field at local holiday park, and a party area decorated to the group's tastes, with colourful bunting, lanterns, piles of rugs and cushions, vintage furniture and plastic flamingoes – from £48pp per night for a minimum of six people.
In a similar vein, Kimberley Hall in Norfolk, a private residence with gardens designed by Capability Brown, has just started renting a set of six tipis (each sleeping six) with faux fur-covered airbeds, fire plates and activities and chefs arranged on demand, from £1,000 (£28pp) per night.
