8 ‘Sense and Sensibility’-esque Airbnbs, Whether You Love Norland Park, Delaford or Barton Cottage

• Sleeps: 8
• Price: from $591/night
• Why We Love It: shepherd’s hut in the garden can accommodate additional 2 guests, easy access to beaches, woodlands and local villages 

Sense and Sensibility begins at the Dashwood family estate of Norland Park, set in the county of Sussex. Upon their father’s death, the Dashwood sisters are turned out of the grand manor, and if they had stayed in Sussex, I like to imagine that they would have ended up in a quaint farmhouse like this one, with three peaceful acres and a little shepherd’s hut in the garden. (It accommodates an additional two guests, for a fee.) You’ll wake up to birdsong and are within a few miles of both the beach and wooded areas, including the South Downs, earmarked as an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty. Take a page from the Dashwoods and spend afternoons reading in the hammock, fetching fresh provisions (like local fish) from the village of Hastings for supper, or spending languid afternoons wandering the orchard and tromping through the meadows.

• Sleeps: 15
• Price: from $1,221/night
• Why We Love It: private lake for swimming, 1 hour from London, on moated island with drawbridge

Braylsham Castle has the grandeur one would expect from a great estate, and so might be what Norland may have looked like. It’s got all the trappings of a castle, including a moat and drawbridge, lake, stone turrets, spiral staircases, stained glass windows and a Great Hall that seats up to 24. While the castle was built in the medieval style, it was actually constructed in the 1990s, meaning you’ll have the environs of historic England but today’s modern comforts, like speedy internet and an effective heating system. You’ll be near the village of Mayfield and Winnie the Pooh’s beloved Ashdown Forest, as well as within an hour’s drive of Pevensey Bay, Rye, Camber Sands (the spa town) and Tunbridge Wells.

• Sleeps: 15
• Price: from $1,208/night
• Why We Love It: waterfall hot tub, grand dining room, open fireplace

Despite the name of this property, it feels sufficiently grand enough to be a stand-in for Colonel Brandon’s Delaford estate, which brings in a modest £2,000/year. (For reference, the Bennet family’s Longbourn was a £4,000 estate.) The house has both historic charm (a priest hole, dual staircases, three floors, inglenook and open fireplace) and modern comforts (85-inch TV, Sonos Arc soundbar, retro cinema room, waterfall hot tub that fits seven, board games, books). The home is accessible via a long driveway that feels as if you’d better come in a horse-drawn carriage than a four-wheel drive. In good weather, you’ll want to spend all your time lounging on the lawn, taking in the tranquil surroundings.

• Sleeps: 4
• Price: from $353/night
• Why We Love It: located on a riverbank, easy access to footpath to Netherbury village

Though it has “manor” in the name, Slape Manor is actually a charming organic farm and cottage along the river. It feels snug in the way Barton Cottage is snug, with comfortable, modest rooms, a sloping roof and two chimneys. A respite, in other words, for the Dashwood women. The property is connected to the village of Netherbury by the Hardy Way footpath, and you’re 15 minutes from the Jurassic Coast (a UNESCO world heritage site) and Bridport, a town known for its weekend vintage markets.

• Sleeps: 6
• Price: from $241/night
• Why We Love It: 12 private acres, English gardens, beautiful views, recently renovated in last five years

Key events in Sense and Sensibility take place in Somerset, where Elinor and Marianne are the guests of distant cousins on their sprawling country estate. This beautiful home, set in the same county, is far from the grandeur that would be the property of landed gentry such as the Dashwood’s sisters’ relation, but it is large and grand by today’s standards. The lovingly restored rectory dates back to 1783, and it’s nestled on its own 12 acres that included bountiful English gardens, lakes and a view of the vale of Taunton. One lucky guest will lay claim to the super-king “Emma” bed and accompanying freestanding bathtub.

• Sleeps: 6
• Price: from $330/night
• Why We Love It: south-facing rooms overlook park and lake, private woods

A good chunk of Sense and Sensibility passes in the county of Devon, where the Dashwood women inhabit Barton Cottage. The modest home is located on the property of Mrs. Dashwood’s cousin, Sir John Middleton, offered to her and her daughters after the death of her husband. I’d imagine that, had they not been offered the cottage, Sir John, in his extreme hospitality, would have put them up in his own house, and the Dashwoods would have occupied their own wing of the estate similar to how this country house is set up. Guests get the East Wing all to themselves, with an open floor plan. All rooms are south-facing, overlooking the vast park and lake, which sit on 38 quiet acres of gardens, parkland and private woods that guests can explore.

• Sleeps: 8
• Price: from $344/night
• Why We Love It: enclosed garden, game room, pubs within walking distance

This is another cottage that I’m certain would have Elinor’s approval. (Her mother and sister were much more prone to grandeur. But, hey, someone has to be the sensible one!) The home preserves historic touches, like the building’s exposed beams and wood-burning stove, with modern conveniences like an open kitchen, TV and a film library. While set in a rural pocket of the country, the farmhouse is walking distance to many local pubs and is also located near a highway for convenient access to Exeter, Bristol and the North and South Devon coasts.

• Sleeps: 16
• Price: from $1,941/night
• Why We Love It: set on 4 private acres, stream and pond nearby, tennis court and yoga barn on site

If I had to imagine Barton Park, country seat of Sir John Middleton, I think that Beachborough Country House might be fairly accurate. If not in design, then in scope. Accommodating up to 16 guests, the estate was built for entertaining. The property consists of four private acres, on which sit the main house, apartment, coach house and shepherds hut, all of which are at your disposal. There is also a stream and pond, plus the summer house, tennis court, yoga barn and games room. Kids will love the trampoline, toys, books and badminton set; adults will enjoy gathering in the sumptuous dining room or in the country kitchen. If cooking for a crowd intimidates you, the owners recommend hopping two fields (literally) over and having Sunday roast at Kentisbury Grange Hotel, or, alternatively, at Pyne Arms pub.