If you fancy a beach break, you can’t get closer to the sea than The Beach House on Hayling Island. Like its name suggests, this pretty holiday home is right on the beach – an upside-down house designed to make the most of the glorious sea views across to the Isle of Wight.
With a huge terrace, you can forget cramming on to the beach on this south coast island hotspot, with towels, tents and tons of other people. The Beach House is all about lounging around in comfort, with a cold-drink in hand. What more could we want.
The house
The Beach House is part of the Cabins and Castles collection of chic getaways. The boutique lettings agency was founded by Zoe Bassett and is a curated selection of high-end holiday homes in and around Sussex. The beautiful Beach House is all coastal cool – marine blues and greys, whitewashed floorboards and timber cladding.
It’s enormous – with five bedrooms, sleeping 11, it is perfect for a couple of families or friends. Downstairs you find the bedrooms, including the lovely master bedroom, with its modern four-poster bed and open-plan roll-top bath, so you can literally soak in the vista.
Upstairs, there’s a large open-plan area with kitchen, with all mod-cons, including wi-fi, dining and lounge, with a huge terrace and outdoor eating area.
After what felt like an endless winter, we were desperate to relax with a bit of warmth and The Beach House fulfilled all our hopes. Newly-renovated, super-stylish, we couldn’t ask for more. With a private garden, we could see the Isle of Wight from the balcony. Luckily, we had the most beautiful sunny weekend, which was exactly what we needed.
Food and drink
It’s unsurprisingly all about great seafood and seaside eateries on Hayling Island. There are lots of waterfront pubs, fish and chip shops and cafes.
The Inn on the Beach, Sea Front, is a fun, relaxed place with a large terrace over the sea and Drift, in Sparkes Marina, is a nice location for a cocktail and spot of boat-watching.
Nearby, on the mainland, there are endless country pubs and fine-dining like the Michelin-recommended 36 On The Quay in Emsworth Quay harbour.
The area
One of Britain’s most popular island destinations, Hayling Island sit between Portsmouth and Chichester Harbour and West Wittering beach. It’s linked to the mainland by bridge or ferry and has three miles of pebbly and sandy beaches.
It’s all about outdoor pursuits here – as the birthplace of windsurfing, it’s full of windsurfers making the most of the conditions. You can try the sport at one of the many schools around the island, as well as kite-surfing or stand-up paddle-boarding. You can sail or take a more leisurely boat trip on board the charming boat, Rosie K.
For those who prefer to stay on dry land, there’s a lovely walk or cycle route along the five-mile Hayling Billy Coastal Path, or round West Hayling Local Nature Reserve.
But who are we kidding, you’d also be forgiven for doing what we did and just relaxing for the weekend, with some well-earned R&R.
How to book: The Beach House, from £300 per night. Visit cabinsandcastles.co.uk or call 01730 239 852.