You can rent an entire village for your next group holiday – with heated pools

You know how it is. You’re planning a group holiday and the guest list starts to spiral. Before you know it, Dave’s crashed out under the kitchen table, Auntie Maureen has insisted on camping in the back garden, and the rental host is sending a series of increasingly furious messages about the septic tank becoming perilously overloaded. So why not escape your holiday accommodation nightmares by booking out a whole village? There are two UK villages that you can book out in their entirety, with enough room for a giant horde of guests to let the good times roll.

One is Darwin Lake in Derbyshire: a group of holiday cottages sleeping up to 127 people in total. Seventeen traditionally hand-crafted stone houses are arranged round a pretty lake, complete with a village green, and walks in the woodland nearby.

Of course, you don’t have to hire the whole thing - you can pick a combination of cottages to accommodate stags, hens, mates’ trips or family reunions. But there is an on-site event space, Darwin Hall, with room for 200 guests if you want to take the place over for a gigantic wedding, with no accompanying hotel-related headaches.

If you’re looking for a (slightly) smaller option, Knockerdown Cottages could be for you. This village sleeps anything from two to 93 people across 16 cottages, in the heart of the Peak District. As well as a function room big enough for everyone to dine in, you’ll find a heated swimming pool, children’s play area, games room, and plenty of parking for all your many, many mates.

Both complexes are surrounded by Derbyshire’s most picturesque scenery, perfect for hiking, golf, archery, canoeing, paddleboarding and outdoorsy activities of every flavour. You certainly won’t feel claustrophobic on a group trip here, with spacious accommodation and fairytale landscapes to enjoy.

But the trip could come with other problems. Who’s going to make morning porridge for 127 people? How will you organise the grand arm-wrestling tournament for the coveted ‘best bedroom’? And what will stop the holiday’s WhatsApp group from spiralling into a chaotic mess of queries, complaints, and Shrek memes? Luckily, these villages are all booked out until next year, so you’ve got plenty of time to plot, plan, and make your ultimate group holiday dreams come true.

On Booking.com, you can book Darwin Lake here and Knockerdown Cottages here.

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