"We turned a townhouse that was 'falling down' into a boutique five-star Cheshire retreat"

The north west isn't short of quirky stays; from glamping pods and luxury cabins in the countryside, to rustic city-centre loft apartments. But in today's saturated market] Rachael Hill has formed a successful business with her keen eye for transforming unused spaces into unique retreats.

Having grown up around hospitality with her parents running their own B&B, Rachael launched Cheshire Boutique Barns after turning the big barn behind her home into three boutique suites. Since opening 12 years ago, the barns have been a huge hit with guests and celebrities alike, and have been named one of the 'coolest places to stay in the UK’ by The Times.

Rachael's latest venture, The Bathhouse, launched in April last year, and saw the couple turn what was once a crumbling townhouse into a five-star aparthotel. Rachael prides herself on carefully listening to feedback from guests, which is what led her to open the new site in a charming Cheshire town.

READ MORE: Inside the unassuming £700k house that hides five bedrooms and boasts incredible views

"Before we had children, my husband and I used to love going for nice weekends away. But so many times we’d book somewhere and then once we got there, it didn’t always quite live up to what we'd imagined," Rachael told the Manchester Evening News.

"Once I had children, the romantic weekends away came to an end, but we had this lovely long barn at our property in the Cheshire countryside, and I just thought I'm just going to create exactly what I couldn't find.

"It was before Airbnb had really kicked off and everyone was like ‘you think people are going to come and stay in the middle of nowhere in your barn.’ We didn’t know if it would work but it sold out. Then we realised we needed