Manal, Brechfa Forest, Carmarthenshire
You could hide away for days in this remote cottage surrounded by fields in a secluded, tranquil valley. There’s no TV, but bring your iPod and play it as loud as you like – your only neighbours are the sheep. This cosy retreat has a woodburning stove, bathrobes and a kitchen well-equipped for whipping up a romantic feast. Work up an appetite walking through the nearby Brechfa Forest, or along the windswept sands of Cefn Sidan, eight miles away. Manal is available throughout February, costing £525 for three nights.
• sheepskinlife.com
North Barn, Whitestone Farm, Totnes, Devon
Whether it’s sunny or grey, the views of river and sky from your bed will lift your spirits. This lovely retreat, once an apple-sorting barn, has a galley kitchen, a bed on a low platform, and wood beam and glass doors that open onto a balcony - and the river beyond. The interior is stylish, with whitewashed wood panelling, and the woodburner takes centre stage. Nearby, you can explore the gardens of Dartington Hall – or you might fancy taking a wood-turning course, available on the farm next door. North Barn costs from either £100 a night or £500 a week, and is available from 5-20 February.
The Piece of Cheese, Hastings, East Sussex
Cheesey in shape, but not in style … this quirky property is thought to be England’s only three-cornered house. In the heart of the medieval old town in Hastings, it was built for a £5 bet in 1871. A seaside town out of season may not be everyone’s idea of romance, but like other towns along the Kent and East Sussex coast, Hastings has undergone something of a transformation as the arrival of classy new B&Bs and hotels like Swan House, Black Rock House and the Zanzibar demonstrate, not to mention some lovely independent galleries and cafes. A three-night stay starting 13 February costs £307.
Ellis-Miller House, near Ely, Cambridgeshire
If you’ve ever fantasised about living in an ultra modern steel-and-glass home, this is a good place for a trial run. In the small village of Prickwillow but inspired by the California Case Study Houses (a post-second world war American experiment that saw leading architects of the day design and build moden homes), the property has featured in several architecture books. Sliding glass doors lead out onto a patio with views of the Fens and Ely cathedral about three miles away. Inside there’s a large living room, bedroom with king-size bed and en suite bathroom. It’s available in February for weekend or midweek breaks of three or four nights from £309.75.
• best-escapes.com
The Boathouse, Ullswater, Lake District
If it’s seclusion you’re after, this is the place – tucked away at the end of a track, surrounded by trees, and perched on the edge of Ullswater with its own private stretch of shore. A former (19th-century) boathouse, it’s been converted into an open-plan bijou living space with wood-burner, battered leather sofa, bathroom, kitchen and bed that looks straight out across the lake – open the windows and lie there listening to the sounds of the water. Of course this is the heart of walking country so you’re spoilt for choice – a book of walks is included. The Boathouse costs £555 for a three-night stay, starting 13 February.
• i-escape.com
Love Cottage, near Gargrave, North Yorkshire
If you can deal with the pressure of booking somewhere called the Love Cottage over Valentine’s Day, this one-bed conversion on the top floor of a 16th-century barn has nice touches for a romantic break, such as a four-poster and mullioned windows. The cottage is on an estate which you’re free to walk around – guests also have fishing rights for the river Aire. Just up the road from the market town of Skipton – gateway to the dales – it’s also a good base for hiking. Three nights from 13 February costs £300, or stay for four nights from £340.
• yorkshire-cottages.info/yorkshire-dales
The Retreat at Witherdens Hall, near Canterbury, Kent
Witherdens Hall is a retreat offering courses focused largely on the spiritual (reiki, sound healing) and the practical (breadmaking, bee-keeping). They also have a host of bookable therapists offering massage, and other healing techniques. But rent its sweet two-bedroom cottage and you will have the grounds and the mini spa (with infrared sauna, steam shower and treatment room) to yourselves. That’s assuming you can rouse yourselves from the £5,000, “magnetic field” bed, said to guarantee a fantastic night’s sleep. Pick your own vegetables from the garden (although possibly not in February) or make use of local farm shops. Meals can also be ordered in advance from MyDietInABox.co.uk. The Retreat costs £150 a night for two people, including organic breakfast.
• organicholidays.co.uk
The Boathouse, Bonchurch, Isle of Wight
If romance for you is blustery walks by the sea, few pads are better-placed than this. A cute chalet with french doors opening straight on to decking overlooking the beach at Monk’s Bay (but on a private cul-de-sac, so no danger of passers-by knocking on the door and asking for a nose around) it’s a little gem for beach lovers. The bed is on a raised platform – watch your head – and the living area is pretty compact so this is not a place for lounging around of an evening. For a good dinner try the Spyglass Inn (thespyglass.com) in Ventnor, a 20-minute walk away, or for a treat the Michelin-starred Hambrough (robert-thompson.com/restaurants/the-hambrough), also in Ventnor. Three-night stays cost from £220.
• homeaway.co.uk/p12613
Orchard Cottage, Holmesfield, Derbyshire
This converted 18th-century stable in the grounds of Horselygate Hall, where its owners live, screams “countryside”, with a stag’s head and a saddle hanging on the walls, a beamed ceiling, exposed brickwork and a pale blue Rayburn. It’s just outside the Peak District national park so there are walks galore – or get your history fix at Chatsworth House, which is nearby, or the lesser-known Haddon Hall (haddonhall.co.uk). Described by Simon Jenkins as “the most perfect house to have survived from the Middle Ages”, it’s surrounded by Elizabethan gardens and rolling Peak District countryside. Four nights from 13 February costs £272.
• cottages4you.co.uk
The Black Shed, Isle of Skye
A black shed doesn’t sound very romantic, but this isn’t any old shed. It’s an award-winning contemporary dwelling on an 18-acre croft amid breathtaking scenery in north-west Skye. Set on a hill at the foot of Macleod’s Tables it looks out to Loch Dunvegan and Dunvegan Castle on the opposite shore of the loch. With underfloor heating, sheep’s wool insulation under timber cladding and a woodburner, you’ll be as warm as toast indoors. There’s a sleek hi-tech kitchen, and the owners can provide homebaked bread, eggs and seasonal produce, but a visit to the nearby and much-lauded Three Chimneys restaurant (threechimneys.co.uk) is a must. A week beginning 11 February costs £500.
• blackshed.co.uk.
For more holiday cottages and villas see guardiancottages.co.uk
