Tideline, Folkstone

Tideline is the ground-floor apartment at The Breakers, a beachfront house on the Sandgate seafront, the stretch of the Folkestone coast locals call the Riviera. Open the doors off the terrace and you are on the beach. Inside, a wraparound mural, Greek columns and a jacuzzi bath give it a good deal more character than most one-bedroom boltholes on this coast, and the sea fills the windows from the moment you wake up. It sleeps up to 4, with a double bedroom and a sofa bed in the living room.

It is a two-person place at heart, with room for four when you want it. Morning coffee on the terrace with the tide coming in, a barbecue under the pergola in the evening, a long soak in the bath after a walk along the front. The village and its gastropub are a short stroll away, which is either convenient or a problem, depending on how the evening goes.

The home

Tideline is on the ground floor, so the terrace is level with the beach and there are no stairs between you and the sand. The living room has a sofa bed and opens onto the beachfront terrace, where the barbecue sits under a pergola. The kitchen is well equipped for a few days of cooking. The bathroom has a jacuzzi bath, which earns its keep after a cold walk on the front. There is a dedicated workspace if you have to log on, and a laundry room for the sandy towels.

Why you'll love it

On the beach, and on the ground floor

No stairs, no scramble down a cliff path. The terrace opens straight onto the sand, so the beach is about as close as a beach gets. Good for early swimmers, dog walkers and anyone who likes the sound of the sea through an open door.

A jacuzzi bath worth the walk home

There is a jacuzzi bath in the bathroom, which is exactly where you want to be after a long walk along the front in the wind. Run it, get in, listen to the sea. Simple pleasures.

A one-bedroom with actual character

The wraparound mural, the Greek columns and the sculptures are not what you expect from a beachfront apartment, and they are the reason this one photographs the way it does. It has more personality than the spec sheet lets on.

Room for four when you need it

A double bedroom and a sofa bed in the living room take it to four. Fair warning: two of those four are on the sofa bed, so it is at its best as a couple's bolthole and works at a push for a small family or two friends who don't mind sharing the living room.

Dogs are welcome

Bring the dog. There is a dog-friendly beach and a coastal park close by, and the terrace opens straight onto the sand. Fair warning: the main bathing beach may have seasonal dog restrictions over the summer, so it is worth a quick check for July and August stays.

Sandgate on the doorstep, London within reach

Sandgate village, with its cafés, antiques and a gastropub, is a short walk along the promenade. Folkestone's Harbour Arm and Creative Quarter are a short drive, Hythe and the Royal Military Canal are just along the coast, and Folkestone to London St Pancras runs in under an hour on the high-speed line.