The Retreat

The bed is the first thing everyone notices. It is a super-king on the first floor under two big Velux windows, dressed in proper linen, and comfortable enough to derail any early morning plans you had. The dressing room next to it gives you somewhere to actually unpack rather than living out of a suitcase, and the en-suite has a bath, shower, and heated towel rail.

Downstairs is one open-plan room done well. The shaker-style kitchen has everything you need to cook a proper meal, with a full-size oven, hob, microwave, and fridge. The dining table sits two comfortably, and the leather sofa and electric fire on the other side of the room make for a good evening in front of the TV when the weather is unkind. WiFi works throughout.

The courtyard out the back is enclosed and private, which matters when you are in your dressing gown at ten o'clock at night. The hot tub sits out there, and on a still evening with the Somerset sky overhead, it is worth the price alone. There is outdoor seating and a dining table too, so on a warm day, you can eat outside without going anywhere.

The owner lives nearby and is always at the end of a text if anything needs sorting, but never hovers. You will find fresh milk, apple juice, coffee pods, and a homemade lemon drizzle cake waiting on arrival, which sets the tone for the whole stay.

Washford is a quiet village in the Quantock foothills, and The Retreat sits on its edge. The nearest pub is under half a mile away but sits on a main road, so you will need the car. There is parking for one. The village shop at Williton is under two miles. From here, the harbour town of Watchet is about ten minutes by car. The harbour itself is worth an hour of wandering, and there is a decent stretch of coast to explore beyond it.

Cleeve Abbey, one of the best-preserved medieval monasteries in England, is practically on the doorstep. In the other direction, Dunster Castle and its grounds are an easy drive through some genuinely beautiful countryside. The Quantock Hills are close enough for a morning walk, with Great Wood and Wills Neck among the best routes. Torre Cider Farm in Washford itself does tastings and has a small animal enclosure, and if you are willing to drive half an hour south, Hestercombe Gardens near Taunton has forty acres of woodland walks, water gardens, and temples across three centuries of garden design.

End the evening in the courtyard with a glass of something cold, the hot tub bubbling, and nowhere to be in the morning. That is the whole point of this place.