WHEN a friend approached me and a fellow journalist, Liz Bird, for help to find a special location for her fortieth, we thought, “Easy!” We were experienced travel writers; all we had to do was find a place for the weekend that would sleep 20 to 30 people.

We soon realised that the task was surprisingly difficult, and that no single source of information existed. So we decided to write our own guide. In the course of our research we found a huge range of places around Britain — from cottages to castles, islands to trains, as well as manor houses, barns and country estates. There is something for everyone: from the quintessential English country manor to houses with hip interiors. Some are super-luxurious; others cost as little as £20 a night.

Here are my ten top properties for different house parties:

PATCHWORK FAMILIES
Combermere Abbey Cottages, Whitchurch, Shropshire

A cottage complex is a great place for a house party. You have the independence of your own room — handy for different generations of the same family — but can meet up for dinner. Combermere’s cottages are converted from a red-brick stable block with high ceilings and exposed beams. Beckett Cottage, which sleeps six but has space for 20 diners, has an African theme.

Details: 20 people staying in three cottages including Beckett pay £1,452 for a weekend, self-catering; 01948 662876, www.combermereabbey.co.uk.

FOR COMFORT-SEEKERS
Fenton Tower, North Berwick, East Lothian

This 16th-century defence tower has an interior rather like a luxury ski lodge, with underfloor heating and wi-fi internet access. You’ll enjoy water pressure that would have left the original owners marvelling. One bathroom holds an enormous copper tub and another has a claw-foot bath. Eat in the vaulted dining room with its resident suit of armour.

Details: from £1,400 a night for 12, B&B. A three-course dinner costs about £45pp; 01620 890089, www.fentontower.com.

THE 30TH BIRTHDAY BUDGET BASH
Buckland House, Beaworthy, Devon

This Grade II-listed mansion is in a 280-acre (127ha) estate, with its own lake and church. It costs about £50pp for the weekend. The formal dining room has antique silver and Royal Worcester china.

Details: A week’s self-catering for 26 costs from £2,380; two-night breaks at 60 per cent of the total, self-catering; 01409 281645, www.bucklandhouse.co.uk.

BEST FOR SOLITUDE
Eilean Shona, Acharacle, Argyll

This small island is an hour from Fort William and offers panoramic views of the Hebrides and white, sandy beaches. Local driftwood has been used to make furniture and sculptures in the shabby-chic house.

Details: sleeps 19. Adults £140pp, children £70pp full board, with a minimum £4,000 rental for three nights; 01967 431249, www.eileanshona.com.

FAMILY-FRIENDLY
Bruern Cottages, near Chipping Norton, Oxfordshire

When the Wendy house alone has two storeys and a canopied bed, you know that not only are the cottages going to be swish, but that the children are going to be well catered for. Push cars litter the walled garden, and there is a heated play cabin, games room and outdoor pool.

Details: Weir House from £982 for ten for a four-night midweek winter break, or Weir and four other cottages for 30 people from £1,792, self-catering; 01993 830415, www.bruern.co.uk.

BLOW THE BONUS
Leeds Castle, near Maidstone, Kent

You’ve bought the Porsche, now it’s time to celebrate in style. Take over one of the most romantic and historic buildings in Britain, where everyone from Edward I to Tony Blair has schmoozed other leaders. Impress your pals with a slap-up meal in the Henry VIII Banqueting Hall, with its beamed ceiling and ebony floor. Then retire to the 22 bedrooms, where 18th-century silk embroideries and Han dynasty vases are just part of the furniture.

Details: Exclusive use is secured by booking eight rooms (from £275 for doubles B&B, £335 for state rooms) plus a £2,000 facility fee per 24 hours. Sleeps 40. Four-course banquets from £68pp; 01622 765400, www.leeds-castle.com.


FOR TOWN-LOVERS
Berkeley House, Tetbury, Gloucestershire

The house is filled with Scandinavian-style chic, with oversized sofas, bean bags and huge photographs adorning the walls. Modern technology isn’t forgotten — as well as wi-fi internet access, you can enjoy a 42in (107cm) plasma screen in the sitting room.

Details: three-night weekends for 14 from £1,440, self-catering; 01666 500051, www.lenaproudlock.com.

FOR THE STYLE-CONSCIOUS
Lower Farm Barns, Walsingham, Norfolk

These five barns look and feel like city loft apartments, except that beyond the window lies the lush green countryside of north Norfolk. Great East Barn, with its open-plan living areas, exposed brickwork and Italian designer chairs, is the largest of the properties (sleeps 14). Enjoy the fresh air and food of the north Norfolk coast, then return to relax in the spa and steam room.

Details: Great East Barn £1,341 for three nights, Long Meadow, £751, self-catering; 01386 701177, www.ruralretreats.co.uk.

FOR AMATEUR HISTORIANS
Maunsel House, near Bridgwater, Somerset

Sir Benjamin Slade can trace his ancestors back to Charles II on his mother’s side, so it’s no surprise that his home is filled with paintings and souvenirs from the family’s past. The ballroom makes a great setting for a wedding or large dinner. You can also drink in the flagstoned and timbered bar, where the original Saxon owner lived.

Details: from £1,000 a night for 22 in ten rooms, B&B, plus a flat rate of £2,500 plus VAT to use the house. Three-course dinners from £35pp; 01278 661076, www.maunselhouse.co.uk.

SOMETHING DIFFERENT
Frogg Manor, Chester, Cheshire

You can tell this is no ordinary hotel from the sign on the driveway: “Welcome to Frogg Manor, an oasis of normality. The mad, mad world is now behind”. Eccentricity rules within the elegant Georgian manor house, which, along with antiques and plush furnishings, houses an army of frogs: ornaments, pictures, cuddly toys and even after-dinner chocolate frogs. Weird, but wonderful.

Details: from £1,349 a night for 14, including dinner and breakfast; 01829 782629, www.froggmanorhotel.co.uk.

The Big House Party, by Jane Knight and Liz Bird, is published by Pendant Press (£14.99).

To buy a copy for £12.99, including p&p, send a cheque payable to The Big House Party to 48 The Paragon, Searles Road, London SE1 4YL, and quote “Times Reader Offer”.

Further information: www.thebighouseparty.com. www.timesonline.co.uk/aplacetostay.

Have a ball ... not a balls-up

DO agree in advance on the budget and bedroom allocation.

DO order groceries and drinks online to be delivered in time for your arrival.

DO warn the others of potential flashpoints, such as “I’m on the Atkins diet/We get up at 5am”.

DO be generous with babysitting if bringing children.

DON’T go away with other couples if you know only one half.

DON’T e-mail everyone with a rota of chores. No one likes a control freak.

DON’T do the same chore twice — or it will be yours all week.

DON’T go into a big sulk if everyone else chooses an activity you dislike.

DON’T go on one of these holidays if what you really want is solitude.

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