Nutshell

One-bedroom cottage in Marazion sleeping two, with the upstairs living room aimed straight across Mount's Bay at St Michael's Mount. The vaulted ceiling and large window do most of the work - you watch the tide swallow the causeway from the sofa.

The layout is upside-down. Living, kitchen, and dining sit upstairs to catch the view; the bedroom and bathroom are tucked downstairs with lower ceilings and a more enclosed feel. Dishwasher, washing machine, off-street parking, and a dog bed by the door. Storage is tight - this is a couple's bolthole, not a place to spread out luggage for two weeks.

Marazion Beach is 800m down the hill, a half-mile arc of sand and shingle that opens onto the granite causeway to St Michael's Mount at low tide. When the tide is in, the Mount's harbour boat runs across for around GBP 2.50 per adult. The Godolphin Arms (Mount views, decent pints) and the Kings Arms are both inside a five-minute walk. Penzance is 3 miles west for the Scilly ferry and the train terminus; Perranuthnoe Beach is 2.1km along the coast path for a quieter swim.

Best for couples and dog-walkers who want sunsets over the Mount and a pub crawl on foot. Less good for anyone needing a second bedroom, generous storage, or a flat ground-floor entrance.