The Beach House, Folkstone

The Beach House sits right on the seafront at Sandgate, the stretch of the Folkestone coast locals call the Riviera. Three floors, a terrace and two balconies facing the water, and steps straight down onto the beach. Sandgate village is a short walk along the promenade, with its artisan shops, antique dealers, a couple of good cafés and a gastropub. It sleeps up to 11, and the ground floor can be closed off as a self-contained apartment, so a large group or two families can share the house without living in each other's pockets.

Arrange it in advance and you can arrive to a stocked fridge, have dinner cooked for you, order a cake for whatever you're celebrating, or add a daily maid service and not lift a finger all week. Or ignore all of that, cook your own, and let the sea do the entertaining. Either way, the walk back up from the beach tends to end the conversation about going out.

The home

The house runs over three floors. The main living space has a wood burner for when the sea breeze turns cool in the evening, a kitchen set up to cook for a crowd, and room for everyone to eat together. Two balconies and a terrace face the water, so morning coffee and evening drinks each have a spot. There's a dedicated workspace for anyone who has to log on.

The ground floor can be used as a self-contained apartment with its own access. Useful if part of the group keeps different hours, if you want to give grandparents a quieter corner, or if two families would rather have a floor each.

Why you'll love it

Right on the beach

Not sea glimpses from the top window, and not a ten-minute walk to the front. The beach is directly in front of the house, with steps down onto the sand. You can be on it in the time it takes to find your shoes, or skip the shoes.

A beach house that genuinely sleeps a group

Three bedrooms and six beds, plus two sofa beds and a trundle, which takes it up to 11. Fair warning: six of those are proper beds across the three bedrooms, and the rest are sofa beds and the trundle. The house is most comfortable at six to eight and still works at a full eleven. Worth knowing when you're sorting who sleeps where.

The ground floor is its own apartment

Close it off and it works as a self-contained flat with its own access. Good for a multigenerational trip, for a couple who want a lie-in while the others are up, or for splitting a big group into two camps that still share the terrace.

Food, if you want it handled

Optional extras include a pre-stocked fridge for arrival, a catered dinner, a cake for a birthday or an anniversary, and a hamper made up for a day out. Handy when you're the one who organised the trip and would rather not also cook the first night. All optional. The kitchen's yours if you'd rather do it yourself.

Dogs are welcome

Bring the dog. There's a beach on the doorstep, the promenade for a proper walk, and wide open sand at low tide. Fair warning: the main bathing beach may have seasonal dog restrictions over the summer, so it's worth a quick check for July and August stays.

A base for the Kent coast, and close to London

Folkestone's Harbour Arm and Creative Quarter are a short drive for food, bars and sea air. Hythe and the Royal Military Canal are just along the coast the other way. Dover Castle and Canterbury make easy day trips, and Rye and Whitstable are within reach for a longer one. When you need the city, Folkestone to London St Pancras runs in under an hour on the high-speed line.