Birchenhayes

Birchenhayes is a four-bedroom house in St Dominick, a village in the Tamar Valley on the Cornwall-Devon border, sleeping eight across three floors with three bathrooms. The house also has a hot tub for the group to share. The layout spans ground, first, and lower-ground floors, giving a group of eight room to spread out across separate levels rather than living on top of each other.

The hot tub, BBQ, and tiered gardens are the main reason to choose this house over a coastal alternative. Wifi, dishwasher, and washing machine are all included. Not dog-friendly. The house sits well inland, with rolling Tamar Valley countryside rather than coast. Every beach requires a 15-minute drive at minimum.

Whitsand Bay is 9.3 miles to the south - a long exposed stretch of south-facing sand with dramatic cliff-top access paths. Downderry Beach is 9.4 miles and Kingsand is 10.1 miles. St Dominick sits close enough to Plymouth to treat it as a day-trip city - roughly 20 minutes north by car, with good restaurant and museum options. The Tamar Valley Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty surrounds the village, with walking and cycling routes through old mining and market garden land.

Best for groups of eight wanting a sociable inland base with hot tub use and day-trip access to south coast beaches. Less good for those prioritising beach-first holidays - every coastal option requires a car.