Barefoot Beach House, Camber Sands, East Sussex
The wooden deck of this white, timber-clad beach house on two floors leads straight down to Camber Sands, home to rolling dunes and over four miles of golden beach. The open-plan, centrally heated Hamptons-chic space sleeps up to eight people in four sleeping areas. Warm up with the wood burner, firepit and sheepskin rugs, and relax amid salvaged beach curios or kick back with the beach house guitar or bongo drums.
Two-night minimum stay, off-peak, from £550 per night. Seven-night minimum stay during summer holidays; barefootcamber.co.uk
Ope, Clifftops, Portland, Dorset
Ope is the most dramatic of the five quietly luxurious Clifftops lodges that are part of Pennsylvania Castle Estate, a gothic revival mansion on the Isle of Portland, Dorset. Built from Portland stone quarried metres away, it has an open-plan kitchen-living space with huge windows and a sliding door on to it from the main bedroom, connecting you with the breathtaking sea views in this two-bedroom chic retreat. Warm up by the designer gas fire after birdwatching from the hot tub on the enormous deck, which includes an outdoor kitchen and barbecue. Eat at Catch, the seafood restaurant in nearby Weymouth, or order a fish pie from the Clifftops locally produced Arrive & Cook dining service.
Minimum three-night stays from £210 per night; thepennestate.co.uk
The Fat Badger, Budle Bay, Northumberland
“Light lifts from the water,” Northumberland poet Basil Bunting once wrote, conjuring the mystical interplay of sea, wind and light that draws walkers to the golden beaches of nearby Bamburgh and Ross Back Sands. Light streams into this striking three-bedroom, contemporary house, its two-storey floor-to-ceiling windows affording views from the mezzanine living room across countryside to the tidal flats and bird sanctuary of Budle Bay. A short drive from the Holy Island of Lindisfarne, the Fat Badger is a luxurious, industrial-chic house with wood burner and a large patio for star-gazing.
From £285 per night for a three-night stay; holidaycottages.co.uk
The Scarlet Hotel, Mawgan Porth, north Cornwall
Set into the clifftop, this timber-clad, glass-walled eco-hotel and spa overlooks Mawgan Porth, a secret spot 10 minutes from Newquay. The reed-filled outdoor pool overlooks the golden beach, as do the spa’s two log-fired hot tubs. The Scandi-cool bedrooms have their own outdoor spaces, including a rooftop lounge, and views of the Atlantic.
Rooms from £245 B&B per night; scarlethotel.co.uk
Hen Cymyran, Anglesey
A huge beach house with a difference, this eight-bedroom, glass-fronted island hideaway has its own jetty, vast windows and a hot tub and sofa on the terrace. Perfect for a big celebration, spread the cost with family or friends and enjoy the three living rooms, two wood burners, pizza oven and resident seals. Curlews fly overhead, as do planes from nearby Anglesey airport.
Sleeps 15, from £48 per person per night for a three-night stay; boltholesandhideaways.co.uk
The Seagate Hotel, Appledore, north Devon
A 17th-century quayside inn, the 17-bedroom Seagate Hotel, eight with sea views, overlooks the Torridge estuary in the fishing village of Appledore in North Devon. Replicas of the Golden Hind were built here, an old shipbuilding hub, among the narrow cobbled streets (one only 10ft wide) and pastel fishermen’s cottages. Warm up by the pub’s open fire after a walk on the South West Coastal Path.
Two-night stay with breakfast, one two-course meal and a complimentary drink on arrival, from £280 per couple until 31 March 2023; theseagate.co.uk
Lundy, Devon
Have a three-mile island all to yourself if you take one, or all, of the 23 accommodation options on Lundy, the granite outcrop in the Bristol Channel, 11 miles off the north Devon coast. Choices include a campsite, the lighthouse keeper’s quarters and a grand country house. The one-bedroom Castle Cottage is built against the Castle Keep, and its window seat in the sitting room has arguably the best sea views of any to be had on this magical, wildlife-rich island dubbed Britain’s Galápagos.
Prices for camping from £33, self-catering from £140 for minimum two-night stay; landmarktrust.org.uk
Bay View Cottage, Robin Hood’s Bay, North Yorkshire
Revel in the spectacular sea views from one of the three terraces of this bijou, clifftop cottage overlooking Robin Hood’s Bay, an old smugglers haunt between Whitby and Scarborough. Walkers can pick up the rugged Cleveland Way National Trail from the pretty cottage garden and return to a fireside tea and L-shaped sofa in the open-plan, timbered living space with a double bedroom up on the mezzanine.
From £143 per night for a seven-night stay; crabtreeandcrabtree.com
Beach Bay Cottage, Carnish, Isle of Lewis, Outer Hebrides
Spectacularly located 100 yards from the beach, traditionally built, two-bedroom Beach Bay Cottage perches above Uig Bay on the Isle of Lewis. Watch the changing light and tides from the huge bay window in the living area or spot local wildlife, including deer, eagles and seals. Binoculars provided. Warm up in the sauna or by the wood burner after bracing sea walks.
From £562 per couple, sharing for a week; vrbo.com
Martello Tower, Aldeburgh, Suffolk
Adleburgh’s two-bedroom Martello Tower, or British Bulldog, one of a chain of defensive towers built to keep out Napoleon, stands guard beyond the high street in Aldeburgh, Suffolk, between the River Alde and the sea. Watch the crashing waves and sunset from the roof, then hunker down beneath the sail-like canopy that hangs under the barrel-vaulted stone ceiling of the main living space.
Sleeps four, from £178.50 per night; landmarktrust.org.uk.
• This article was amended on 13 November 2022. A previous version incorrectly referred to the “Cleveland Bay” national walking trail, rather than the Cleveland Way.
