THE ULTIMATE STAYCATION BOOKING GUIDE
Airbnb all booked? Find a bolthole on the booking sites you’ve never heard of. By Jake Helm
THERE are many things to look forward to about a summer of staycations — chocolate-box cottages, surfing, seafood and the promise of above average temperatures for July and August. And no early flights. Hurrah! The downside? Everyone else is trawling Airbnb with the same ideas. Cottages in the Cotswolds? Fully booked. Luxury yurts in Wales? All gone. Cornish boltholes by the beach? Forget about it. Mercifully, a new wave of booking platforms have just the ticket. Here are the best alternatives to Airbnb that you’ve probably never heard of.
Staze
Best for: Those looking for spontaneous, last-minute retreats.
Locations: Thousands of rentals across the UK and more on the horizon. Price: From £70 to £1,000 per night.
Staze is about embracing being last minute. The accommodation booking platform, which launched last week, is encouraging holiday-makers to live more spontaneously and dodge the stress of ever-changing coronavirus restrictions. How? You can only make bookings within 14 days of a trip.
It’s not as panic-inducing as it sounds. Staze does all the thinking for you by providing personalised recommendations, deals and destination suggestions, reducing the average four-hour trawl through Google to just a few minutes and a couple of taps on the app.
Jay Olenicz, co-founder of the app, with Henry Popiolek and Dustin Silk, says he wants Staze to become the Netflix of staycations. He says: “Staze wants to bring the whole of travel into a Netflix experience where you have a personalised recommendation engine, and you can discover where to go in minutes.”
Each of Staze’s 40,000 UK properties has a property management team on-hand to help with any needs. Guests can choose anything from a luxury apartment in London to a cosy fishing shack in Scotland. By the end of the summer, the platform will have properties available across Europe too.
⬤ staze.com
Kip Hideaways
Best for: Stylish interiors without a hefty price tag.
Locations: Scotland to Cornwall, and everything in between.
Price: Membership is £2.99 per month and lettings start from £59 per night.
Founded in 2019 by travel experts Liz Simpson and Sarah de Vere-Drummond, Kip offers a curation of affordable rentals in the UK for two to six people. With around 120 unusual and chic places, it boasts cottages, treehouses and huts.
⬤ kiphideaways.com
Quality Unearthed
Best for: A digital detox in the countryside.
Locations: More than 200 glamping sites in the UK and France. Price: From £60 to £565 a night.
Born out of the Quality Cottages brand that has been hand-picking getaways since 1961, Quality Unearthed offers glamping options and rustic stays. Whether it’s safari tents, treehouses or yurts, the site promises offgrid retreats and a chance to immerse in nature.
⬤ qualityunearthed.co.uk
The Plum Guide
Best for: Those looking for hotel-level luxe in a homely setting.
Locations: Worldwide, with holiday homes across the UK.
Price: From £42 to £14,000+ per night in the UK.
Created by Israeli entrepreneur Doron Meyassed, The Plum Guide is a vetted holiday marketplace for the top one per cent of homes. Every property listed has to meet a 150-point criteria, which includes everything from the pressure of the showers to the thickness of the mattresses. The self-appointed “Michelin guide for homes” offers top-end properties with high standards.
⬤ plumguide.com
Kid and Coe
Best for: Child-friendly retreats. Locations: Worldwide, with 94 properties in the UK.
Price: From £70 per night for properties in the UK.
Established in 2013 by Zoie Kingsbery Coe after she struggled to find rentals for her family, Kid and Coe provides a curated list of homes that cater specifically to families. The site values properties that are safe and appropriate for kids, complete with cribs, high-chairs, play areas and toys. It’s family-friendly accommodation without sacrificing on style.
⬤ kidandcoe.com
Canopy & Stars
Best for: Nights in the great outdoors. Locations: More than 700 nature retreats in the UK, and more across Europe.
Price: From £45 to £1,660 per night.
Every one of Canopy & Star’s listings will perk up your Instagram feed. It offers wild stays, including treehouses looking into starry skies. Some of the properties are very rustic, with just wood-burners and campfires for heat, while others have baths and hobs. There’s also the added environmental bonus that the company are vowing to plant a million trees by 2025.
⬤ canopyandstars.co.uk