East Yorkshire holiday business Veiko named best for glamping by travel experts

He owns and runs the holiday let alongside his family, scooped gold in the Best for Glamping category for his unique, iglu-style pod named Veiko.

The national travel awards programme by staycation specialist Sykes Holiday Cottages saw thousands of entries from across the UK and Ireland.

Veiko was hand crafted in Estonia and is situated on the family’s glamping site, Mayflower Meadow, alongside two sister pods, the only of their kind in East Yorkshire. Mr Conner and his father decided their five-acre field would be perfect for a luxury glamping site which they eventually opened following two years of development in 2022.

Ever since, he and his family have reaped the rewards of a surge in staycations to East Yorkshire, with Veiko nearly fully-booked throughout the entire year of 2023.

The property has its own private patio complete with garden furniture and a hot tub, while Mayflower Meadow also has a resident Hereford cow, Mary, who loves to greet guests during their stay.

The Sykes Gem Awards first launched in 2017 and aim to celebrate the best people and properties in the UK’s holiday let sector - judged by a panel of industry experts including Sykes’ CEO Graham Donoghue and COO Bev Dumbleton, as well as The Sun’s assistant travel editor Sophie Swietochowski.

Properties were judged using owner entries and guest feedback, alongside details like photos, occupancy figures and property amenities.

The judging panel were impressed with the style and facilities on offer at Veiko, along with guest feedback on cleanliness, comfort and value for money.

Veiko owner, Sam Conner, said: “As a family, we’re absolutely thrilled to receive this award, having put so much into making Veiko a success.

“We’re super passionate about the area we live in and it’s great to be able to showcase this to guests from across the country. Our ethos is to provide a peaceful escape where visitors can completely switch off and so to be recognised for this is really rewarding.”

CEO of Sykes Holiday Cottages, Graham Donoghue, said: “We’re excited to have relaunched the Sykes Gems to recognise and reward some of the best holiday lets across the country.

“A lot of work goes into running a successful holiday let so it was a difficult decision amongst so many wonderful properties, but our final winners are those consistently going above and beyond to deliver unforgettable breaks for their guests.

“Staycations are as popular as ever in 2023, with many Brits having rediscovered their love of a holiday at home during the pandemic. Because of this, those with a second home in East Yorkshire might be tempted to turn it into a holiday let – with our Gem Award winners offering plenty of inspiration for those who need it!”