Dot May

One-bedroom studio at Porteath, in the lanes between St Minver and Polzeath, sleeping 2 with a double bed, basic kitchenette and an enclosed garden. The studio sits in a quiet rural pocket roughly 2.8km from the coast - far enough that the beach crowds don't reach you, close enough to drive down for a morning surf.

The garden is the draw: enclosed with outdoor furniture and a barbecue, set among the fields. Inside is small and simple - a double bed, a basic kitchenette, a shower room. Parking is in the field. No wifi, no children. Changeover is Friday.

Polzeath Beach is a 5-minute drive: wide north-coast sand, surf schools running Easter to October, lifeguards in summer. Daymer Bay and St Enodoc Church (where John Betjeman is buried in the dunes) are equally close. Rock and the passenger ferry across to Padstow are 4 miles south, and the Camel Trail at Wadebridge is 6 miles inland.

Best for couples who want quiet, walks straight from the door through the lanes, and a barbecue in a private garden after the beach. The Porteath setting suits guests who'd rather come home to fields than to the village queue. Less good for guests who want walk-to-the-beach access, in-cottage wifi, or anyone travelling with children - the studio is sized and rated for two adults only.