We’ve all got our different ideas about what makes a holiday, and for some it’s a big group of friends going off on an all-inclusive package holiday to somewhere in the sun where you share a hotel and all it’s facilities with hundreds of other people – you eat with them, you socialise with them, you relax with them, you swim with them.
We’ve all seen it in brochures and on websites; those kidney shaped swimming pools dotted with bronzed and lobster red bodies, kids splashing about in the water. All good fun if that’s your thing but if you’re the more discerning types you’re probably more likely to want to escape to somewhere nice and quiet, somewhere that can be your own private world for a few days, and holiday homes with private indoor pools make it even better, especially if there’s quite a few of you.
It really doesn’t matter if you’re a bunch of friends or a multi-generational family, an indoor pool that’s completely private can make all the difference to your large group stay. For a start it really doesn’t matter what the weather’s doing; if it’s raining it’s a great way to pass the time, and if it’s stonking hot sunshine you can open the doors wide and kinda merge with the outdoors. The kids absolutely love it, larking about in the water whenever they want to, for as long as they want to, and the whole family can join in, so there’s a lot of fun to be had. You can have a water-thon with activities and timed events, your own mini-olympics! For grown ups it adds to the relaxation factor and is a great way of getting exercise, but the best thing is it’s all yours and no-one else can use it. And that’s great because it’s so much easier to switch off and unwind in the company of a chosen few rather than a crowd of strangers; take your ease, have a swim, climb out and put your feet up on a poolside lounger. All yours. Completely private. No sunburnt strangers. Bliss.
Most of our large group holiday homes have the luxury of a private indoor pool, but that’s not all they’re about, oh no. Our self-catering properties sleep up to 30 people and we realise that’s a lot of people to keep entertained and amused, so we've thought of everything. We have games rooms that usually have a pool table or table football, or both; some have air hockey and table tennis, most have a TV and comfy seating so it’s a real chill out zone and more often than not it's where the teenagers and the men like to hang out. Besides private swimming pools we have saunas, and one or two of our large holiday cottages even have a steam room; some have indoor jacuzzis, and the majority have big hot tubs outdoors, with portable covers, or set beneath an arbour so you can use them in all sorts of weather. We have BBQ lodges in many of our holiday houses; cosy Nordic style, with a central grill so you can sizzle sausages or toast marshmallows whilst you all sit round chatting and laughing beneath the twinkly lights, with reindeer hides to keep you warm. You’ll find play equipment for the little ones, robust and sturdy with swings and slides and a climbing frame, and quite often there’s a separate play area for toddlers. You see, at Sleeps 12 we want to be sure that everyone enjoys their stay.
So if you’re looking to book a holiday or a weekend away with a group of friends, or with extended family, take a look at what we’ve got with an indoor swimming pool. Our properties are set in beautiful rural locations in Somerset, Devon, and Gloucestershire, and are surrounded by glorious countryside, so you’ll wake up each morning to far reaching views of fields and woods and hills that seem to go on forever. We’ve got gorgeous country houses like Berry House, luxury timber-clad lodges like Ham Bottom, Flossy Brook and Cockercombe, impressive barn conversions – see Beaverbrook 20, Walnut Arbour and Coat Barn, and even a stunner of a former stable block that’s been transformed into an amazing Roman style villa – check out Holemoor Stables. If you fancy a stay in a traditional farmhouse you’ll love Pound Farm.
Although not strictly indoors, we also have properties with covered pools, which again, means you can use them year round – see Viney Hill Country House, and Wayside. If you think that big means expensive, don’t be alarmed because with Sleeps 12 it doesn’t; our prices, when calculated between all members of your party, work out at less than the cost of a good hotel, which is incredibly good value when you consider the first-class facilities you’ll have – which of course are totally private, which you wouldn’t get in a hotel.
It all makes sense, doesn’t it? Get your notepad out, start planning and before long you’ll be looking forward to a stay in one of our luxury large group holiday homes with your very own private indoor pool.