Alastair Sawday's

Special Places to Stay in Britain for Garden Lovers (edition 6)

• Publication date: April 1 2011
• £19.99

There might be a little matter of a royal wedding on the 29th but further cause for excitement will surely revolve around the release of the new edition of Sawday’s Special Places to Stay in Britain for Garden Lovers to be published on April 1. Now including hotels and self-catering spots as well as B&Bs, the book will be a new larger format with five colour photos for each of the 102 entries. From cutesy cottages with delightful gardens to match to grand country estates with their own parkland, there are places to suit all tastes.

Special Places to Stay - Spain (edition 9)

• Publication date: April 1 2011
• £15.99

Special Places to Stay - Portugal (edition 5)

• Publication date: April 1 2011
• £12.99

Two updates or our ever popular Spain and Portugal guides are also published on April 1st (really). Fincas, monasteries, Balearic beauties, pousadas, paradors and Moorish palaces abound - some simple, others divinely decadent. All have been visited and chosen by Sawday’s as Special Places to Stay - rather reassuring really if you’ve ever trawled the net looking for inspiration for your hols.

The Natural Wedding Book (edition 1)

• Publication date: October 2010
• £19.99

A full-colour coffee table book filled with ideas for an eco-conscious and stylish wedding whether you want a traditional do or a more handmade celebration. Vintage gowns, organic cakes, seasonal food and flowers and honeymoons that won’t cost the earth. Louise Moon, author and eco wedding designer, suggests simple how-tos and insider tips to make your day truly unique. Conveniently compiled into bite sized chapters for each topic, it’s a pleasure to dip into.

Louise is happy to be interviewed so do email if you would like to be put in touch.

Foreword by Jo Wood

Go Slow England & Wales (edition 1)

• Publication date: November 2010
• £19.99

Special Places to stay, slow travel and slow food

Go Slow England, the first title in Sawday’s ‘Slow’ series of guides, has been a runaway success selling over 25,000 copies. This edition, now including Wales, has plenty of new entries from B&Bs, hotels, inns and self-catering places run by an eclectic bunch of owners who treasure the traditional, embrace the eco-friendly and value community.
Regional guides pinpoint the way to tea gardens, farmers’ markets, pick-your-own farms, county fairs, historic and unusual places to visit and all manner of ‘slow’ spots nearby.

British B&B (edition 15)

• Publication date: September 2010
• £14.99

B&Bs are not what they were. The greasy fry-ups, creaky old beds dressed in lemon nylon and a chilly walk to the shared bathroom are, thankfully, things of the past. The new breed offer beautifully turned out rooms, roll-top baths, antiques, designer potions and lotions and delicious breakfasts that will have you skipping down in the morning. But you will need a trusted source to guide you to the best and here it is bigger and swisher than ever .

British Hotels & Inns (edition 12)

• Publication date: September 2010
• £11.99

THE guide to use if you want to support the smaller independent places that make
staying away so much more interesting than just checking into your average chain.
You will find hotels that are characterful, quirky, smart, boutique, chic and good
value too, with many with rooms at £100 or less.

Eat Slow Britain (edition 1)

• Publication date: June 2010
• £19.99

June sees two brand new titles. Eat Slow Britain is a coffee-table format book highlighting 45 places to eat where the owners/chefs/landlords have gone all out to use locally-sourced, organic, freshly-foraged ingredients. Not a laminate menu, cash & carry curry or foil-wrapped butter pat in sight. The guide also focuses on 43 producers who do all the hard work growing and rearing all these amazing ingredients - each producer has been recommended by The Soil Association. Discover the Hampshire pub where the landlord’s only concession to imported foods is peppercorns or if you’ve ever harboured dreams of living The Good Life, learn how to lamb, keep hens, cure meat or even bake bread at an organic farm project in Somerset.

Venues in Britain (edition 1)

• Publication date: June 2010
• £11.99

Where do you go to find a special place to marry, to party, to host an away-day or just have a meeting?
Look no further than Sawday’s and our guide, Venues in Britain - Weddings, parties and meetings

There are farms, a windmill, castles, boats, churches, yurts and tipis, art galleries, retreats, restaurants, historic houses and more. There’s something for everyone; outrageous luxury, grandeur, stunning style, exquisitely green ways of doing things, organic food, grand Elizabethan clutter, gardens to dream of, simplicity and sophistication. Use the book to source space for a wedding for 300 or a board meeting for ten.

Slow Devon & Exmoor, Slow North Yorkshire and Slow Norfolk & Suffolk

• Publication date: May 2010
• £14.99

Continuing the ’slow’ theme and a new venture for Sawday’s. We’ve teamed up with Bradt Travel Guides to produce a trio of new titles - Slow Devon & Exmoor, Slow North Yorkshire and Slow Norfolk & Suffolk. Each guide is written by a local - Hilary Bradt herself has penned the Devon one - and offers a real insider’s take on the area focusing on the wildlife, the walks (hand-drawn maps to accompany), the characters who live and work there and some suitably Special Places to Stay as recommended by Sawday’s. Each guide is £14.99 and will make an invaluable companion for walkers, nature lovers and general pootlers.

Go Slow France (edition 1)

• Publication date: May 2010
• £19.99

Go Slow France has just come out and I can vouch for the fact that it’s absolutely stunning. Coffee-table format with beautiful, professional photography, 48 enticingly ’slow’ places to stay - every one run by fascinating owners with rich stories to tell. Visit them and you will drink wine from their vineyards, eat vegetables from their potagers and glean insights and inspiration from their ’slow’ way of life.

French Vineyards (edition 1)

• Publication date: 21 September 2009
• £19.99

At last! Sawday’s releases un guide nouveau for the autumn and it’s sure to be a corker – Special Places to Stay: French Vineyards. This guide will prove irresistible to wine-loving Francophiles and anyone else who fancies lazy days sauntering around La Belle France, quaffing, learning, meeting interesting owners with tales to tell, eating fine food in convivial company and then staying over. There are gîtes, châteaux and B&Bs on wine producing estates throughout the country and all have been inspected and found to be just right. So rev up the old deux chevaux (making sure there’s room for a few crates), don your best, battered, straw hat and prepare to meander.

British Bed & Breakfast (edition 14)

• Publication date: August 2009
• £14.99

A glittering collection of B&Bs including boutique beauties, quaint cottages, city spots, tucked-away farmhouses, follies, creaky castles and old rectories galore. You won’t find a turgid description of the tea and coffee making facilities or the parking
arrangements – instead you’ll get the feel of the place - and the hosts too, an important consideration when you’re staying in their home…

Like to read more? Download our press release and sample spread (333KB download)

Paris (edition 1)

• Publication date: September 2009
• £9.99

Ce n’est pas vrai! Our latest guide to Paris has shrunk! But small is beautiful and it’s now the third in our hugely popular series of mini guides - a jewel box of a book. Peek inside and discover not just hotels as in previous editions but apartments,
townhouses, B&Bs and even restored farmhouses on the edge of the city. Allez!

Like to read more? Download our press release and sample spread (322KB download)

Green Europe (edition 1)

• Publication date: 7 May 2009
• £11.99

Over 170 authentic and memorable places to stay across Europe that champion organic food, use eco-friendly technologies, contribute to conservation, and provide genuine benefits to local communities.
So prepare to snuggle down in a turf-roofed cabin and listen to the howls of the huskies at a Norwegian lodge – take them out sledding across the frozen tundra under the Northern Lights. Or, climb up to your very own hemp insulated, two-storey tree house with nesting birds for neighbours and glittering night skies to lull you to sleep. It’s not all shacks, treehouses and yurts – there are smart city hotels, ancient châteaux and hip hideaways all doing their bit - beautifully.
Find special green places to stay in Britain, Ireland, France, Belgium, Spain, Greece, Portugal, Italy, Switzerland, Austria, Germany, Sweden, Norway, Denmark, Finland and Iceland.

Like to read more? Download our press release and sample spread (100KB download)

Pubs & Inns of England & Wales (edition 6)

• Publication date: 7 May 2009
• £11.99

880 of your finest pubs, inns, taverns and hostelries many dishing up award winning food, some with swanky rooms for a post-sup stagger-up, and lots and lots with flags, fires and fine ale. Discover this year’s 12 deserving winners in our very own Sawday Awards: Community Pub, Pub with Rooms, Authentic Pub and Best Local, Season & Organic Produce. This book is a MUST for any self-respecting glove-box (or cycle pannier).

Like to read more? Download our press release and sample spread (100KB download)

Go Slow Italy (edition 1)

• Publication date: 2 April 2009
• £19.99

Italy, the birthplace of the Slow movement and the home of Slow Food, is the second destination in our new Slow series. 46 exceptional places to stay – places where attention is lavished on some of the most important things in life: convivial meals, community, friends and family, a respect for the environment and a celebration of regional distinctiveness. From the mountainous north, through cypress-dotted Tuscany and on down to the gutsy, colourful south, you’ll discover an unmatched passion for Slow Food and Slow Travel. You will meet farmers, literary people, wine-makers and craftsmen – all with rich stories to tell. Go Slow Italy celebrates fascinating people, fine architecture, history, landscape and real food.

A coffee table format with full colour professional photography throughout.

Like to read more? Download our press release and sample spread (100KB download)

Spain (edition 8)

• Publication date: 2 April 2009
• £14.99

Whether you’re heading for the Sierras or the costas, historic towns or cosmopolitan cities, this guide has a huge variety of places to choose from. There are simple Casas de Aldea (small traditional houses in remote rural settings), restored monasteries and palaces and modernist buildings with all the contemporary designer trimmings. Stride out on walking holidays in the National Parks, linger by the pool and make the most of some terrific regional and international cooking.

Over 340 places, most of which are under €100 with half having rooms under €70 per night.

Like to read more? Download our press release and sample spread (100KB download)

French B&B (edition 11)

• Publication date: 5 February 2009
• £15.99

A fine collection of châteaux, chalets, pigeonniers, moulins and maisons in some of the most captivating parts of France.
This was our very first title - the thrill of finding such beautiful houses and welcoming hosts across the country inspired Alastair to start the publishing company. Quelle bonne idée! The book has guided tens of thousands of us to some magical spots whether we’re travelling from north to south and looking for a stop-off with character or just meandering, staying where the mood (and guide) takes us.

Like to read more? Download our press release and sample spread (100KB download)

Ireland (edition 7)

• Publication date: 5 February 2009
• £12.99

Over 200 special places – fishing lodges, keeps and castles, self-catering cottages, city hotels, farms and seaside houses.
Perhaps you like the idea of staying in one of those grand Georgian mansions set in parkland with a crystal-bound dining table and sparkling conversation to match. Or how about a simple cottage, right by the sea surrounded by wild roses and gentian, with a hearty Irish supper and a trip to the nearest pub in the evening? Whatever you fancy, you’d better get hold of the latest edition of Special Places to Stay Ireland.

Like to read more? Download our press release and sample spread (396KB download)

British Bed & Breakfast for Garden Lovers (edition 5)

• Publication date: 5 February 2009
• £14.99

The return of our hardy biennial featuring exquisite places to stay in equally exquisite gardens; from grand estates to small town plots, all over the country. In these places, you will meet owners with hugely different gardens: some will be finished masterpieces, others will be works in progress, but all will be talking points. Our owners are experts on their own gardens of course, but they can often organize private visits to other gardens, direct you to good local nurseries and give you the low-down on which public gardens to visit nearby.

Like to read more? Download our press release and sample spread (1MB download)

British Bed & Breakfast (edition 13)

• Publication date: October 2 2008
• £9.99

We’re always keen to draw attention to owners who are striving to have a positive impact on the world so we have introduced our “Ethical Collection” to this new edition of our bestselling guide. Owners have had to complete a detailed questionnaire and have it evaluated before becoming part of this collection.

Like to read more? Download our press release and sample spread (100KB download)

British Hotels & Inns (edition 10)

• Publication date: October 2 2008
• £14.99

If you’re after the sort of recommendations that you might get from a trusted friend, look no further. New to this edition, a boutique beauty in the South Hams, a lodge on the shores of Loch Ness, colourful exoticism near er Reading and a London restaurant with rooms with a legendary rock and roll past and free pudding on Tuesday nights if you wear a hat.

Like to read more? Download our press release and sample spread (396KB download)

Scotland (edition 1, new title)

• Publication date: October 2 2008
• £9.99

We’ve had Pubs & Inns of England & Wales and Go Slow England, so surely it’s about time to redress the geographical balance. Now we have, with the second in our series of mini guides - Special Places to Stay, Scotland. Highlands, Islands, lochs, city splendours, remote crofts, cliff-clinging castles, spoiling hotels, and even a ’see-through house’ on the Isle of Skye are all included. 149 entries covering b&bs, hotels, inns and self-catering.

Like to read more? Download our press release and sample spread (1MB download)