With county walks from the doorstep and endless views of the Blackdown Hills, this contemporary, timber-clad house feels peaceful and secluded. In summer, the wraparound terrace is the place for making the most of long hot days with afternoon swims and table tennis matches followed by alfresco wood-fire pizza suppers under the stars; in the winter, feast in the BBQ lodge and toast marshmallows around the firepit. Other social spaces include the huge kitchen-dining room with a bespoke marble table that seats 14 (Blackdown Luxury lettings can recommend a local chef if no-one feels like cooking) and bi-fold doors that can be pulled back to let the outside in. There’s also a sitting room with a wood-burning stove, a hot tub and trampoline, and, up the oak-and-glass staircase, four ensuite bedrooms (the fifth is on the ground floor). Head to the coast in under an hour – Sidmouth, Exmouth and Beer are all excellent options – or stay closer to home and take a ride along the canal on a horse drawn barge at Tiverton.
This 18th-century octagonal domed folly on the Euston Estate perfectly combines striking architecture with inviting interiors that are made for hunkering down. Originally commissioned as a banqueting room for the second Duke of Grafton and designed by renowned architect William Kent, its hilltop position meant it was later used as a prime viewing station to watch racehorses being trained in the park. Now sleeping up to eight guests (including two bedrooms in The Cabin, just a few steps away), The Temple has been meticulously refurbished by the current 12th Earl of Grafton. There’s a fully equipped kitchen-diner, sweeping garden vistas from the rolltop bath and a sitting room with comfy sofas, a fully-stocked bar and elegant fireplace. Before venturing out, stroll around the estate’s Pleasure Grounds and discover the restored watermill and Capability Brown-designed waterways.
At the foot of medieval Castle Hill on the 260-acre family-run arable Fordscroft Farm, this one-bedroom cabin has a fairytale woodland backdrop (it’s part of Hinton Hideaways, which also has several other properties for rent on the land). It faces a private garden with a wood-burning hot tub on the patio – ideal for sunrise soaks to the sound of the tweeting dawn chorus. Inside, you’ll find a modern open-plan kitchen-living-diner with wooden floors, a farmhouse table and log burner by the sofa for movie nights (decorative accents include brass lamps, mustard cushions, sheepskin rugs and plenty of greenery). There’s also a firepit and pre-bookable sauna on site, herds of fallow deer grazing and, in the summer, the sound of hooting barn owls calling to each other among the trees.
Opposite the Cadogan Gardens hotel, on the other side of a private square, is a sister red-brick townhouse with six recently renovated apartments. A stay here is the best of both worlds: absolute privacy and being self-sufficient yet with 24-hour room service and access to all the hotel facilities you could want, from the gym to the leafy square itself and the dramatic gold-and-charcoal cocktail bar that’s perfect for a nightcap. Each apartment (choose between one, two and three bedrooms) runs across an entire floor and includes a kitchen, living room and dining area; the best views are from The Loft Apartment which looks out over the Chelsea rooftops. Don’t miss dining at the British-inspired Hans’ Bar & Grill (think dishes such as pan-fried seabream, beetroot burger or beef tataki) which is part of the among the artisanal shop and restaurant line-up on pedestrianised Pavilion Road.
You can’t beat the location of this 1950s one-bedroom cliff-top beach hut which sits directly above Whitsand Bay, between Rame Head and Portwrinkle in Cornwall. Part of the extensive Luxury Holiday Cottages collection, it has direct access to the Southwest Coastal Path for picture-postcard hikes in nature whatever the weather (Millbrook is the closest village inland). The bedroom is tucked away behind the open-plan, lounge-kitchen-diner – meaning that both have spectacular sea views. Outside is a large deck with sun loungers, a BBQ, hot tub and dining table. A blissfully romantic getaway where life revolves around the ocean, whether you’re surfing, rock pooling or simply slowing down, sitting back on the squashy sofa and gazing out at the ever-changing tides through the wraparound glass front. Note: dogs are allowed too.
