Managed to persuade someone to look after your kids for the night? Take inspiration from our top ideas for great places to stay just a stone's throw from home - so you spend every bit of those precious 24 hours enjoying yourself.

London

Blow-out: The Grove
With more bling than an episode of Footballers' Wives, The Grove bills itself as a country club for Londoners who are used to the finer things in life. From the beautiful black-slate indoor pool to the 'groovy-grand' interior design, a stay at The Grove is guaranteed to put a spring in any couple's step. Book a mansion room with a four-poster bed and plasma screen for that special night away.
Getting there: 20 minutes by train from Euston, or take the helicopter and be there in no time!
Cost: From £240 for room-only
Contact: The Grove, Chandler's Cross, Hertfordshire, 01923 807807
www.thegrove.co.uk

Budget: The Mistley Thorn
The Mistley Thorn is a perfect one-night bolthole. This 18th century inn has been given a modern but sympathetic upgrade and attracts a lively crowd at the weekend. Rooms 1 and 5 are the ones to go for – 1 has the views over the Stour Estuary, while 5 is the owner's room of choice, with ornate chandeliers and a beautiful bathroom.
Getting there: Mistley is 60 miles from London or about an hour by train from Liverpool Street
Cost: From £95 bed and breakfast per room
Contact: The Mistley Thorn, Mistley, Essex, 01206 392821
www.mistleythorn.com

Edinburgh

Blow-out:One Devonshire Gardens, Glasgow
They say a change is as good as a rest, so pop on the train and in about an hour you could be sipping champagne in the bar at this opulent city hotel. A quick peek at the guest book shows the hotel is popular with A-listers; George Clooney and Liz Taylor have both stayed there and one look at the bedrooms reveals why - candles by the bath and four posters, it's just incredibly romantic!
Getting there: Take the train – it's a 50-minute journey Cost: From £155 a night, room only Contact: One Devonshire Gardens, Glasgow, 0141 339 2001 www.onedevonshiregardens.com

Budget: Knockderry House
Fine food is the mainstay of a break at this country hotel. Murdo and Beth MacLeod's fine dining menu features food sourced from impeccable local suppliers. The rooms are beautifully decorated and would put many 5-star establishments to shame. If you can stretch to it, take the master bedroom, it comes complete with a roll-top tub in a turret!
Getting there: It's a shade under two hours drive from Edinburgh to Helensburgh
Cost: From: £95 a night
Contact: Knockderry House Hotel, Cove, Helensburgh, 01436 842283 www.knockderryhouse.co.uk

Newcastle

Blow-out: Seaham Hall
Looking for someone to massage your cares away? Try Seaham Hall where the award-winning spa guarantees a blissful stay. There are more than 50 treatments, and with an underground tunnel linking the hotel to the spa you can stay in your robe while you pad back to your room. Really lazy guests can spend the whole time up in their suite, ordering off the extensive room service list and sampling the hotel's pillow menu. Dreamy!
Getting there: Seaham is 17 miles from Newcastle city centre
Cost: From £255 for a Friday or Saturday including breakfast
Contact: Seaham Hall, Seaham, Durham, 0191 516 1400 www.seaham-hall.com

Budget: Thistleyhaugh
This beautiful Georgian farmhouse is a million miles away from the bustle of urban life. Set in 685 acres of farmland, Thistleyhaugh is the place to wind down and take life at a slower pace. Bedrooms are large and decorated with great care, and once you've walked off the artery-furring breakfasts you can pile on the pounds again with one of Enid's great farmhouse dinners.
Getting there: Thistleyhaugh is a 15-mile drive from Newcastle
Cost: From £65 per room for bed and breakfast.
Contact: Thistleyhaugh, Longhorsley, Morpeth, Northumberland, 01665 570629 www.thistleyhaugh.co.uk

Bristol

Blow-out: Babington House
The hotel that pioneered the chic country hotel trend, Babington still ranks as one of the UK's hippest country hotels. True, the place will be overrun with children at the weekend but as long as yours aren't among them, you can get down to the business of relaxing. Book a massage for two in the beautiful Cowshed spa, and then escape to the kid-free Pool Room before cocktails and dinner.
Getting there: Babington's less than an hour's drive from Bristol
Cost: Rooms start at £260 at the weekend
Contact: Babington House, near Frome, Somerset, 01373 812266 www.babingtonhouse.co.uk

Budget: Pennard Hill Farm
Just down the road from Glastonbury, Pennard Hill Farm is a boho rural retreat that would appeal to the likes of Sienna and Gwyneth. This working farm has branched out to offer spa treatments on site, so you can stuff your face with organic sausages at breakfast and have the cellulite pounded out of your thighs later on. There's even a choice of English or Sri Lankan cuisine for dinner.
Getting there: Pennard Hill is just over half an hour's drive from Bristol
Cost: Rooms in the farmhouse start at £110 per night for bed and breakfast
Contact: Pennard Hill Farm Estate, Shepton Mallet, Somerset, 01749 890221 www.pennardhillfarm.co.uk

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