Bungalow, Bali
Amed is the collective name for a string of fishing villages along the eastern Balinese coast. It is a quiet, laid-back area with lush paddy fields and volcanic beaches, the perfect place to chill out in the sun. Affordable beach bungalows are springing up along the strip: most are small and built in traditional styles. Geri Giria Shanti, for example, is a guesthouse in the village of Jemeluk with four charming bungalows in a shady garden, two minutes from the beach. There are no cooking facilities but plenty of cheap eats locally (tofu tempeh curry and rice will set you back less than £2). There is a diving centre based at the guesthouse – diving and snorkelling are popular in Jemeluk Bay thanks to its deep coral walls, abundant fish and gentle currents. Another diving company offers daily yoga classes by the beach (apneista.com).
• +62 81 916 6548 74, geriagirishanti.com, bungalows €15-€20 a night, B&B
Beach hut, Goa
Palolem beach (pictured) in Canacona, south Goa, is a mile-long crescent of sand between two rocky headlands. In late October, bamboo huts are erected all along the beach, and they can be hired until the end of May, when the monsoon season begins and the huts are taken down. Some huts in the area can be booked in advance, such as Chattai beach huts, built on a hillock 150m from the sea. Most of the huts right on the beach are owned by locals, and are best viewed and hired on the spot. If Palolem beach is too busy, the neighbouring beaches of Agonda, Patnem or Columb are quieter and even cheaper. Local families also rent out houses by the month – again, it is easiest to ask around when in situ. See mypalolembeachgoa.com for more advice.
• +91 98224 81360, chattai.co.in, huts from £7 a night (sleep two), 15% discount for stays of five nights or more
Thatched cottage, France
The Rent A Place In France website has a selection of characterful long-term rentals around the country, most available for a minimum of a month. There are some great deals, such as a thatched cottage near the picturesque port of Honfleur in Normandy (sleeps four, from £230 a month), or a converted barn with a garden on the Dordogne river near Bergerac (sleeps two, from £257 a month). Other options include a farmhouse with swimming pool in Poitou-Charentes (sleeps four, from £333 a month); a gite with a tower in Provence (sleeps five, from £393 a month); or a 19th-century wine lodge in the Pyrenees (sleeps two, from £428 a month).
• rentaplaceinfrance.com
Village house, Italy
Invitation to Tuscany has self-catering properties across the popular Italian region, some available for longer lets. One is a small, rustic house, La Rondine, with a sheltered garden in the medieval hilltop village of Casole d'Elsa, 25 minutes from Siena. The village has bars, cafes, restaurants, a public pool and a week-long festival in July – a mini version of Siena's Palio horse race (second Sunday in July). The house sleeps four and a month's rent is less than twice as much as a week's.
• 020-8444 9500, invitationtotuscany.com, £1,166 a month or £619 a week, year-round, including heating, Wi-Fi and a gardener
Stone bothy Scotland
The beautiful island of Colonsay, in the Inner Hebrides, has white sandy beaches and a population of just 130, so you'll feel like you're getting away from it all. However, there's also a microbrewery and pub, a tiny bookshop and art gallery, a cafe/bakery and a shop – plenty to keep you happy for a month. The island hosts four festivals (spring, folk, literary and food) and is dotted with standing stones, hilltop forts and ruined chapels, so you can spend your days exploring, and spotting wildflowers, rare birds, wild goats, grey seals and otters. Those who are happy to spend most of their time outdoors could choose simple accommodation run by the Colonsay Estate, which owns two traditional stone bothies next to the backpackers' lodge. The sleeping bothy contains three cabins, each sleeping two in bunkbeds, and the dining bothy has cooking facilities, including a Rayburn. The estate also has cottages and apartments, from £200 a week.
• 01951 200316, colonsayestate.co.uk, bothy cabin £15pp a night, including linen
Apartment, Spain
Under the Thatch specialises in rural retreats in Wales, but it also has a few properties in France and Spain, including a chic flat in Barcelona. The one-bedroom, top-floor flat is in the Raval district, right in the centre of town, a couple of minutes from Las Ramblas. Its original features – tiled floors and Catalan ceilings – are mixed with modern decor, such as wall murals and designer furniture. Renting the apartment for a month is considerably cheaper per night than shorter stays.
• underthethatch.co.uk, from £227 for a two-night stay or £1,000 a month including bills (ring 0844 5005 101 for the monthly rate)
Log cabin US
Minnesota, "the land of 10,000 lakes", also has 72 state parks, 58 state forests and numerous wildlife reserves, making it ideal for a month in the great outdoors. It offers fantastic hiking, biking, boating and fishing – the Boundary Waters Canoe Wilderness area alone has more than 1,000 lakes to explore. For a really rustic experience try the state parks' "camper cabins". These one-room wooden cabins come with a table, benches, bunkbeds and a screened porch – a step up from a tent, but still pretty basic. Many have electricity and some are heated for year-round use but bedding, cookware and crockery are not provided. There is no indoor plumbing (although there are "vault" toilets), but the cabins are near each park's campsite, with flushing toilets, showers and drinking water. The basic facilities are more than made up for by the locations, such as the pristine lakes and forests of Bear Head Lake state park, or the rolling prairie lands of Afton state park.
• +1 651 296 6157, dnr.state.mn.us, from $50 a night (sleeps six)
Colonial estate, Sri Lanka
The Pantiya estate, in the hills outside Kalutara in south-west Sri Lanka, 90 minutes from Colombo, comprises a colonial-era bungalow and a villa on a working 10-acre rubber, coconut and tea plantation. The properties sleep 12 altogether and are rented out as a whole, with a discount for stays longer than two weeks. The buildings have been renovated in traditional style – antique furniture, shady terraces – and there is a swimming pool in the extensive garden. The coast is a 30-minute drive away. The rate includes breakfast, after which you can opt to self-cater or eat meals cooked by a local chef on a mud stove and log fire. Dinner could be saffron rice with stir-fried fish and pickled aubergines, or appam (rice pancakes) with chicken curry, lentils and coconut sambal.
• 079126 29514, srilankaholidayhome.com, from £25 a night, £750 a month
Lodge Canada
Pow-Wow Point Lodge is on the banks of the Peninsula Lake near Huntsville, Ontario, a beautiful area to explore. It is 20 miles from Algonquin Park, which has 2,000km of canoe trails through wild landscape, lakes that are warm enough for swimming and a network of campsites. This is a real wilderness escape, though Hunstville has lively bars and restaurants, and the all-important outdoors outfitters stores. Guests can swim in Peninsula Lake and use the kayaks and paddle boats, and explore the hiking trails through the surrounding forest. The accommodation is clustered around the main lodge and includes cottages and a converted 1930s boathouse.
• From £3,995pp for a 30-night stay, including return flights from the UK to Toronto, a month's car hire and daily breakfast and dinner, 0800 316 0194, bon-voyage.co.uk
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