Unique Homestays Reviews 

My wife and I started planning our 7 week UK holiday in 2023. We love to stay in unique properties offering privacy and seclusion. We found ourselves fortunate to discover Unique Home Stays and their web site is exceptional in terms of property descriptions and images. We identified 2 properties meeting our brief in Lake District and Cornwall. Equally and just as important was the highly personalised, friendly and helpful advice and service we received from Kimberley and her colleagues. Nothing was too much trouble, they were always responsive and went above and beyond at every opportunity. We felt special. We highly recommend Unique Home Stays, they are indeed unique in the travel industry.

Wow. Anthology Farm was perfect. Amazing location, gorgeous decoration, loads of great facilities and Jo and Henry was incredible hosts. We, and our 16 guests, all loved it!

The service provided by Unique Homestays was first class. Booking procedure was very straightforward and all queries were responded to almost immediately, even at weekends. The accommodation was superb and exactly as described. The owner was also very helpful in allowing us an earlier check in time to assist us with our needs. I would not hesitate to book again, thank you for making our special birthday celebrations so lovely.

I highly recommend Unique Homestay- I’ve stayed in 3 of their properties and each has been different but all spectacular in their location and always unique buildings that are beautifully presented.

We have used Unique Homestays before so decided to book again for the most amazing weather week in April recently. We stayed at the Flower Press a 2 bedroom cottage in Bibury in the Cotswolds. It blew us away!!!
It was fabulous, immaculate and just perfect.
Everything was top notch, the bed linen was luxurious and the quality of everything exceeded our expectations. Can’t wait to use them again.

We loved Little Inka! It was well-appointed with good quality fixtures and fittings, very thoughtfully done. There were no issues with the 'little things' like enough soap, shampoo, loo roll, wood for the fire and kitchen utensils. Our host was a delight - helpful, informative and warm, but also gave us space and peace to be on our own. We'd happily return to Little Inka and hope to do so soon!

We had a lovely stay at Penny Black.
Every box ticked.
In a delightful location.

We'll definitely be back.

My partner and I stayed at Elemental during the most glorious weather week in April 2025. The house is simply beautiful! Everything has been thought of for a comfortable stay and we didn't feel like anything was lacking. Location is perfect and the sunsets were breath-taking. It literally feels like you are on a ship with the views of the water being almost within touching distance. We loved opening the sliding door every morning to hear the water lapping against the shore from the Loch. Perfect to get away from the franticness of everyday city life!

Unique Homestays managed our requirements right from the beginning with speed and efficiency, responding to emails and phone calls without delay and we had contact with several members of staff who all knew the background and worked well as a team, making helpful suggestions along the way. Scarlet Hall itself was the perfect venue for us. We were a family of about 18-20, aged from 6 to 80 years and the property was ideally configured. It is beautifully located in lovely countryside. The owners are meticulous in their upkeep and attention to detail, providing pleasant surprises like local produce and flowers from the garden in all the rooms. We would not hesitate to use the company again and Scarlet Hall in particular.

I have previously booked with Unique Homestays three times, and each experience was lovely, which made this recent stay at Four Hundred Summers even more disappointing. For a property priced at £1,200 for five nights, I expected a much higher standard of service and cleanliness.

Upon arrival, I was immediately concerned with the woodlice infestation throughout the house, particularly in the bedroom, where I found more than 15. Despite raising this issue with the owner, their response was dismissive, simply telling me these bugs were harmless and common in rural homes. To make matters worse, there was a leaking toilet tap that wasn’t addressed during my stay, a dead mouse in the garden, and I had to ask for toiletries to be replenished because they were almost empty on arrival.

The hot tub, a key feature of the property, was unusable as there were insufficient logs for heating. I had to buy my own firewood for the remaining nights, and the locked storage that housed additional logs felt like an unnecessary inconvenience.

As a long-time customer, I am incredibly disappointed by the lack of proper communication and resolution from Unique Homestays. I would have expected better customer service given my positive past experiences. At this point, I feel let down by the company, and I hope this feedback serves as an opportunity for them to address these issues for future guests.

Stayed at the Fable. 5 Stars. Can't say much more. Loved it!

We rented another exceptional property in ‘The Knapp’ which offered a real luxury sanctuary in a beautiful setting. The property’s decor was fantastic and everything was specified at the highest level. It was truly a luxury home from home. We always appreciate the professional and expert support from Unique Homestays. Finding the very best UK holiday rentals can be a challenge but Unique Homestays are now our ‘go to’ agency as they have consistently the best service and the most exquisite properties.

The Dragonwood Boathouse is a superb property.
Finished to a very high standard, very private, every conceivable amenity, beautiful view over a small lake, short walk to a lovely local pub, expansive in summer, cosy in the winter.
For a romantic get away, it ticks all the boxes :)

Have stayed in a couple of the properties in Ireland and each one is indeed unique and beautiful - like ultra high end air bnbs. The unique Homestays team - Simone in particular and owners of the properties are always super helpful. Hoping to make my way through every property eventually! Also wish they would expand to more of Europe!

For my 50th birthday, I chose to stay with Unique Homestays, and it was nothing short of magical. Every detail was thoughtfully curated, making the experience truly unforgettable. I couldn’t have imagined a more perfect way to celebrate my special day.

Do love Unique Homestays, we’ve used them a few times and they are always super helpful and offer beautiful properties.

We stayed at Windfall in Herefordshire this time. This cottage is truly something special. The setting is breathtaking, with picture-perfect views and the soothing sound of the stream as you sit outside enjoying breakfast (yes, even in March!). Pure bliss.

Inside, the cottage is beautifully designed, thoughtfully laid out, and equipped with everything you could possibly need for a truly relaxing stay. The larder is impressively stocked, especially with herbs and spices—better than any holiday cottage we’ve ever visited!

One of the highlights was the Hikki bath, the perfect spot to watch the sun set and the stars emerge. With no light pollution, the night sky was simply magical.

Nicola was an incredible host—so thoughtful and responsive. When the underfloor heating needed adjusting due to the weather turning considerably milder, one quick message and she had it sorted right away, even checking in later to make sure everything was just right.

We usually like to explore new places, but this cottage might just be the exception. We may have found our happy place, and we can’t wait to return!

The properties on offer with Unique Homestays are stunning. The whole booking process and communication throughout is exceptional. I would highly recommend using them if you’re looking for a luxury stay in the UK.

The Stack - Cornwall.
The property is very cute and the view is divine.
Unfortunately in Feb they hadn’t had the heating on and the house was freezing for 2 days until it heated up. Some of the electric radiators just pumped out no heat - especially the main bathroom never warmed up.

If you have dust / asthma sensitivities just be cautious, our son reacted really badly for some reason in the house.

The hot tub was lovely on the terrace and the welcome was thoughtful and locally sourced.

All that said, Unique Homestays dealt with it professionally and made a nice gesture.

When we arrived the place was WOW! It was decorated for chromas and new year and was warm and homely! The outside space for our dog was perfect and the view of the Welsh Mountains was stunning! The bonus of the hot tub which is covered just made the stay complete!

October 2024. Property in Cornwall called Serpentine

We travelled from N Ireland to spend a week at the above property. We are in our late seventies. Our son and wife and two grandchildren age 6 and 8 joined us travelling from London.
We had a successful holiday in October 2023 at a property in co Kerry using this company. We could not fault anything.
This experience in Cornwall was in stark contrast. We chose the property with encouragement from UH who assured us it was suitable for all of us.
Two full days of our week were spent trying to rectify the problems we were presented with. We assumed the standard would meet the high requirements of UH. They state each property is visited and approved by a team member. It is clear this level of scrutiny is inadequate. As a guest UH state “ you are afforded some of the finest hidden gems in the world and offered to truely embrace the province.
On the night we arrived at 6pm it was dark. There was no wok to make a stir fry. Only two of the 7 burners on the gas hob worked and one was barely a flicker. The grill did not work and one of the three ovens worked.
In the dark it was still obvious that the huge semi circle of picture windows were dirty.
We reported this to UH the following morning. The house keeper and her partner came and were unable to fix the cooker . They said it had not been working for some time. They suggested using the microwave but didn’t know how to work it. We could not work it either. The house iPad with instructions turned up several days later under magazines in a drawer, it was out of charge. The house keeper said she would arrange for someone to repair the cooker. Nobody turned up during the week despite more phone calls to UH. The house keeper said the owner was hard to contact and rarely at the house. We had planned to eat at the house each evening as the children were too young for late nights. It also looked like a property we would be more than happy to be in each evening.
On the night we arrived there were no kindling sticks and only two logs in the basket , we were unable to light the wood burner.
The hot tub was cold.
The welcome hamper described as luxury, consisted of supermarket produce ……sliced white bread, Branson pickle, butter, cheddar cheese, packet of 4 scones out of date, some biscuits, no items showcasing Cornwalls local luxury products..
The following day the window cleaner cleaned the windows which were indeed filthy.
UH advised that basic essentials would be in the property.
The following items were not provided.,
No dishwasher tablets
Fairy liquid empty
No washing up brush, a previously used scrubber/ sponge
Herb/spice containers all empty
No salt and pepper grinders
No cooking salt
No apron
One oven glove. For one hand. Dirty.
Glasses cheap and flimsy
No sturdy drinking glasses for children
No salad bowl !!

Toilet sistern in master bedroom running continuously.
Sink in master bedroom would not empty. Housekeepers partner came to fix it.
No instructions for hot tub.control panel stuck down with duck tape.
Master bedroom bedside lights so inadequate unable to read in bed . Housekeeper to bring stronger bulbs. Did not happen.

Of extreme importance are the safety issues relating to this property, none of which we were made aware of at the time of booking.
1 Dangerous steps from the raised bed in the master bedroom. There is no reactive lighting to warn of two sharp slate steps down, or no handrail. My wife fell in the night forgetting there were steps to negotiate. She was lucky not to have sustained life changing injuries.
2. There was no outside lighting at all. The house keeper said it had been damaged in the floods and had not been sorted. There are four steps on the wooden deck which runs round the front of the property. Again no handrail and no lighting making this extremely dangerous.my wife had to press herself against the wall to descend these steps safely.
3. No lighting down steep steps to the hot tub and no handrail.
This property is built into the side of a cliff with a steep drop down to sea level. In particular,for elderly people and children to have no outside lighting functioning and no handrails , it has the potential for a serious accident to happen.

There was no outside furniture available as shown on the website. No BBCue. Nowhere to sit. Weather was hot.

We felt the reporting of all of the above did not receive appropriate response. We had no way of contacting the owner. We have accepted £700,their “final offer”,as compensation, wholly inadequate, in no way compensates for these serious deficiencies. Be warned, in spite of UH actively promoting this property with outdated and inadequate knowledge of its condition, if things go wrong they will offer no support. They claimed simply to be an intermediary.