A 17th-century castle on Loch Ness, a turf-roofed lodge in Iceland and Charles Zana-designed villas near Saint-Tropez feature in Perowne’s collection for Christmas 2026 and New Year 2026–27. Each offers space for a private gathering, with chefs and dedicated teams helping to shape the celebrations.
Our eight picks range from country houses for candlelit banquets to remote lodges for guided winter adventures. Guest numbers, starting prices and inclusions vary considerably, so the choice begins with how your group wants to spend its days.
1. Aldourie Castle, Loch Ness, Scotland
Aldourie Castle sleeps 24 guests in 12 individually designed bedrooms on the quiet southern shores of Loch Ness. Drawing rooms provide space for fireside reading and late-night drams, while meals can move between formal dining rooms and informal kitchen suppers. Dedicated chefs prepare breakfast through dinner, with afternoon tea and late-evening treats along the way.
WildLand’s whole-castle hire also gives guests access to the Steadings’ wellness and gathering spaces, with a sauna yurt among the trees beside the loch. The 500-acre estate encompasses gardens, meadows and woodland; the boathouse and glasshouse offer further settings for lunches, teas and workshops.
Christmas decorations, carol singers, ceilidhs and pipe bands can shape the house party around your guests. For a larger gathering, seven estate cottages accommodate another 24 people, allowing several households their own space nearby.
Booking: Christmas exclusive-use rates start at £35,000 per night. Castle hire includes all meals, daily housekeeping, round-the-clock staff and concierge planning. Cottages start at £470 per night.
2. Eleven Deplar Farm, Troll Peninsula, Iceland
Eleven Deplar Farm’s geothermally heated indoor–outdoor pool has a swim-up bar, making it an unusually comfortable place to watch for the northern lights when conditions allow. Aurora alerts run until 2am. Inside the turf-roofed lodge, mid-century Scandinavian furniture sits alongside Icelandic artwork, with 13 bedrooms accommodating a buyout party of 26.
Eleven’s winter programme includes activities such as cross-country skiing and snowmobiling, as well as ice climbing, snowshoeing and ice fishing, according to conditions. Guides arrange the days, leaving guests to choose their balance of outdoor activity and time at the lodge.
The spa has flotation tanks, saunas and a sound-bathing studio. Evenings can be livelier: a band loft contains guitars, percussion and microphones, while Eleven’s private Flóki Studios offers a recording-studio setting for musically inclined guests.
Booking: Winter buyouts start at $60,350 per night for 26 guests, including guided adventures, equipment, pre-arrival planning, chef-prepared meals, house drinks and airport transfers from Akureyri. The transfer takes approximately 90–120 minutes.
3. Ballyfin, County Laois, Ireland
Ballyfin gives one party the run of a restored Regency mansion and 614 acres of parkland, lakes and formal gardens at the foot of the Slieve Bloom Mountains. Its 21 rooms and suites have hand-crafted furnishings, original plasterwork and marble bathrooms, many looking across the lake or gardens.
Guests can choose period costumes from an archive sourced from Chicago’s Lyric Opera Company, dine by candlelight in the State Dining Room and arrange a private ceilidh. Menus draw on seasonal Irish produce, the working kitchen garden and foraged ingredients.
Ballyfin’s exclusive-hire programme can also include tastings of wine and whisky, tours of the gardens and Gaelic games taught by the butlers. Across the estate, boating, cycling, falconry and guided walks offer plenty to occupy guests between celebrations.
Booking: Exclusive hire starts at €45,000 per night for all 21 rooms, including lunch and dinner, champagne on arrival and a pre-dinner drink.
4. Yarlington Lodge, Somerset, England
Yarlington Lodge accommodates up to 32 guests across three residences: the eight-bedroom main house, four-bedroom Coach House and four-bedroom Cottage in the Wall. That arrangement gives a large family gathering useful flexibility, with kitchens in each residence and ample shared dining and lounge space.
Karen Roos oversaw the restoration with Richard Parr Associates. Fabric-covered walls, antique furniture and tented beds reference Regency and Empire interiors, while a library, drawing room and formal dining room provide settings for gathering indoors.
The Newt’s Yarlington estate has a 16-seat cinema, heated 22-metre outdoor pool, indoor jacuzzi and tennis court. Wellington boots and drying cupboards make countryside outings straightforward, with access to The Newt’s wider woodland, orchards and gardens. The house can also host therapists, personal trainers and babysitters; private experiences cost extra, and spa access depends on availability.
Booking: Exclusive use of all 16 bedrooms starts at £10,500 per night, including continental breakfast. The main house and cottages can also be booked separately.
5. Eleven Chalet Hibou and Eleven Chalet Pelerin, Le Miroir, French Alps
Eleven Chalet Hibou and Eleven Chalet Pelerin offer neighbouring bases in the Alpine hamlet of Le Miroir, with interiors of reclaimed wood, local blue marble and Savoyard antiques. Hibou occupies a seven-room historic farmhouse overlooking the Tarentaise Valley and Mont Pourri glacier; Pelerin has five bedrooms.
Eleven’s guides plan outings for mixed-ability groups, from snowshoeing to heli-skiing across the Italian border. Winter evenings can include private-chef fondue, outdoor hot tubs and bonfire dinners at The Alpage, a shepherd’s hut reached by ski, snowshoe or hike.
Hibou’s winter facilities and activities include a Finnish sauna, steam room, cold plunge and grotto bar. Pelerin adds an indoor pool and terrace hot tub, giving non-skiers appealing ways to spend an afternoon.
Booking: Winter buyouts start at $13,850 per night at Hibou for 14 guests, and $9,890 at Pelerin for ten. Hibou has a four-night minimum; its package includes guiding, equipment, resort lift tickets and nightly dinner for stays of up to six nights. Heli-skiing costs extra.
6. Hope Lodge, Sutherland, Scotland
Hope’s winter days are shaped by guided coastal walks, foraging, conservation sessions and fireside bothy lunches on Scotland’s remote north coast. WildLand’s field guides and conservationists adapt the programme to the season, weather and terrain, making this a particularly compelling choice for a group interested in the landscape.
WildLand’s private-hire accommodation comprises seven en-suite lodge bedrooms and the adjacent An Cala cabin, together sleeping up to 20. Restored by Cecile & Boyd, the interiors use oak, tweed, flax and oilskin. The Clachan’s stone buildings contain spaces for treatments, gym facilities and an adventure centre.
Guided cold-water immersion in Loch Hope offers an invigorating start to New Year’s Day, while sound baths provide a gentler option. Long winter nights and low light pollution suit stargazing, with the possibility of northern lights.
Booking: Hope operates exclusively for private use from November 2026 through April 2027. Rates start at £21,000 per night for the fully staffed lodge, including all food and drink and daily guided experiences.
7. Les Pins and Les Oliviers, French Riviera
Les Pins and Les Oliviers sleep up to 20 guests across ten suites, offering a coastal alternative to a snowy Christmas. The Charles Zana-designed villas stand on a private estate near Lily of the Valley, 25 minutes south of Saint-Tropez, and are connected by a private pathway.
Lily of the Valley’s Les Pins villa sits in a pine grove with sea views and direct access to Plage de Gigaro. Its heated semi-Olympic pool, fitness room and hammam complement beach walks. Les Oliviers overlooks century-old olive trees and has its own heated pool and five suites.
Each villa has a manager, butler, private chef and housekeeper. The concierge can arrange Christmas-tree decorations and a Christmas Eve dinner reflecting Provençal traditions and black truffle season. Private coaching, yoga and in-villa treatments offer quieter interludes between meals.
Booking: Prices are available on request. At Les Pins, continental breakfast is included, while lunch and dinner ingredients and beverages cost extra.
8. Château Troplong Mondot, Saint-Émilion, France
Château Troplong Mondot has five individually designed suites and reception rooms overlooking the vines towards Saint-Émilion. Set at the village’s highest point, the 18th-century château was renovated by Bruno Moinard and offers an intimate setting for a food-and-wine-focused festive gathering.
Troplong Mondot’s working wine estate produces a Saint-Émilion Premier Grand Cru Classé alongside Mondot. Chef David Charrier and his team prepare bespoke menus in the château’s open kitchen, following the garden-to-plate approach of the estate’s Michelin-starred restaurant, Les Belles Perdrix.
A dedicated maîtresse de maison arranges the details of each stay. Larger groups can expand beyond the château by taking over the estate’s accommodation, incorporating The Keys of Troplong Mondot and The Vineyard House.
Booking: Exclusive château hire starts at €12,000 per night.
A smaller festive stay in Florence
La Réserve Firenze, which opened on 16 October, offers six serviced apartments in a restored 15th-century Oltrarno palazzo. Each has its own kitchen, dining and living space, with shared lounges and terraces elsewhere in the building. It’s an apartment option for smaller gatherings, rather than a whole-house takeover.
Our opening coverage details the included breakfast, housekeeping and dining arrangements with nearby Trattoria Cammillo. Rates start at €1,890 for two people sharing a one-bedroom apartment.
