Rural accommodation travel guide

Given the rural, often off-the-beaten-track nature of their locations, most rural accommodations in Europe will require car hire to reach them – and will be able to help you arrange this - although it is always worth asking the owners whether they are able to help with transfers and local lifts instead. Some will be happy to run you down to the local shop or to an activity if you arrange it with them first. Other accommodations may also have bikes available to hire for more local exploration.

While some places to stay, like our eco-lodges in Devon or cottages in the Loire are fantastically family-friendly, providing all kinds of toys and activities as well as extra beds and cots on request. Other properties, for example our mountain retreat in Crete, are adults-only so you’ll need to double check before you book.

While the standard varies from the rustic to the luxurious, with all our rural accommodations you can expect clean and comfortable rooms and private bathrooms (if you’re not renting out the whole house). Some will have air-conditioning although many older buildings will rely on their traditional stone construction to keep cool. A swimming pool – and certainly a private one – isn’t a given, but where there is no pool you might find that you’re not too far from a quiet beach, or that there’s a river perfect for wild swimming at the bottom of your garden.

Many of our rural accommodations are working to ensure their facilities are as available to as many people as possible for example ensuring specially-adapted rooms, reserved parking, and catering for a wide range of food allergies. However, those based in renovated old buildings will face challenges constrained by the building’s original, often uneven architecture, making step-free access difficult. Feel free to expand on your requirements when you make an inquiry and your local hosts will be able to provide detailed information specific to your needs.

Tourism can be a powerful force in rural areas where employment opportunities for young people are few and far between. It’s a story that is played out in the countryside across Europe; less people take up traditional livings and instead leave for more lucrative work in bigger towns and cities. The result – a declining rural economy, depopulation and a loss of traditional culture and ways of life. The mayor of a mountain village in Piedmont, Italy recently made headlines by offering $10,000 to newcomers to come live there in a desperate bid to keep its school and selection of small shops open, another further north is offering a bonus to residents who have babies – as well as offering abandoned property for $1 (you’ll have to refurbish your house within two years) and recovering agricultural land for would-be farmers. Rural tourism offers employment opportunities not only in accommodations but in the wider community – supporting local farmers and producers, encouraging entrepreneurship and helping small businesses (language schools, activity providers and tourist guides, shops, cafes and restaurants – the list is endless) to thrive.

And with many popular resorts - for example Barcelona in Spain – becoming unpleasantly overcrowded, going rural can also make for a much pleasanter vacation experience. You’ll also be spreading the benefits of tourism more widely. It’s worth remembering that tourism in many rural areas is very seasonal, with the summer months receiving the lion’s share of visitors. Consider traveling in the spring, autumn or even during the winter months and you’ll not only enjoy a peaceful escape with barely another tourist in sight, but you’ll be supporting local businesses and producers at times when income is a little tougher to come by. And with log stoves, home-cooked food, friendly hosts (and often discounted rates) there’s something oh-so-cosy about an off-season escape.