The Beach House Eden Retreats

The clue is very much in the name – overlooking spectacular Cardigan Bay, The Beach House at Pwlheli has a shingle and sand beach right on the doorstep and a super vantage point from up on high. You really can just step outside, cross the road and stroll or swim, which makes this a fantastic choice for friends and family looking for seaside fun.

It sleeps six in three bedrooms, but let's get one thing out of the way – only the master bedroom has the big sea views, so either exercise parental choice or get there before your friends if you want the full experience. The other rooms are a very cosy twin on the same floor as the master bedroom – with a small sea-view window – and a double down on the ground floor that's charmingly furnished but tucked out of the way. This has its own shower room, while the the two second-floor bedrooms share a ship-shape bathroom with a raised bathtub and separate walk-in shower.

Worry not though, if you don't have a view from your room, because the rest of the south-facing house more than compensates. The open-plan living area is up on the first floor, with a walk-in kitchen at the rear, and dining table and lounge to the front, looking out through huge, floor-to-ceiling sliding windows. Step out on to the balcony – where there's seating – and you have stupendous views (and a provided telescope, no less). There's a contemporary seaside feel throughout – wood, white and cream, with a maritime flourish here and there, from the pictures on the walls to the shells in the bathroom.

The location is perfect, if what you're after is sand and sea. It's just on the edge of the small market town of Pwlheli, with its glorious beaches and coves. There's a coastal footpath, plus paddleboards and kayaks to rent locally, and more at the rather nice village of Abersoch, just fifteen minutes away. The nearest pubs, shops and restaurants are in Pwlheli, a mile away, while if you wanted to leave the coast behind for the day, it's under an hour's drive into the heart of Snowdonia National Park. Really, though, The Beach House is all about lazy summer days on the beach, and a sundowner on that wonderful sea-view balcony.