The secret hack to getting cheaper hotel rates
Of course, swapping Saturday for Sunday isn’t a new concept, and those who have tried it have quickly cottoned on to its appeal, but even so it’s been an uphill struggle trying to persuade my friends to give up their Saturday nights away. Think of the buzz, they say. Think of the crush, I say, the unnecessary expense, the lack of peace. There are other advantages too: you get Saturdays at home to do the DIY or the gardening, and you don’t get locked in to the requirement of so many hotels to stay for two nights. And you don’t have to cope with ghastly Friday traffic.
Monday is the new Sunday
As for Mondays, the worst day of the week, yes, they are for working, but do they always have to be? Even if you have to take the day off as holiday, it’s worth it. Who wants to schlepp in to the office and stare out of the window in a listless trance, when they could be waking to a view that brings the heart joy.
All right, it’s not always easy to take a Monday off, but since the pandemic, many of us work at least partly from home and if you have to work on your laptop on a Monday, it’s surely more pleasant to do it from the comfort of your chosen hotel than at same old, same old home. I love the peace of Sunday stays, I love the price of Sunday stays, and best of all, I love still being there on a Monday.
20 of the best Sunday night stays in the UK
Beaverbrook, Surrey
Wear your Sunday best to this Surrey countryside mansion, Beaverbrook brings together an elegant, traditional English estate with Japanese dining and an artistic spa. Its Sunday Cinema Club packages include a movie viewing in the plush, chaise lounge-seated cinema (complete with blankets and unlimited popcorn), plus a tasting menu in the restaurant and a cracking breakfast the next morning. You’ll get full use of the Brian Clark-designed spa with its statement tilework and balmy outdoor pool, and you can add on extras such as fishing trips, cycling or tennis. Monday mornings have never looked so good.
How to do it: Beaverbrook (01372 571300; beaverbrook.co.uk) offers doubles as part of its Sunday Cinema Club Package, including dinner and breakfast, from £495 on a Sunday (standard b&b from £570 on a Saturday).