Trillo House

Trillo House is a four-storey Georgian townhouse on a residential street in Whitby, close enough to walk everywhere but set back from the seafront crowds. The character is genuine. Exposed beams and sloping ceilings on the top floor, a feature fireplace in the first-floor bedroom, and original proportions throughout that no modern build can replicate. Be honest with yourself about stairs, though. Four floors means a proper climb, and there's no lift. If everyone in the group is fine with that, the house rewards you.

The ground floor has a large kitchen-diner where eight can eat together comfortably. It's properly equipped: oven, hob, fridge-freezer, microwave, washing machine. Through to the sitting room on the same floor, a smart TV and sofa handle the quieter moments. Upstairs on the first floor, a second sitting room has a 70-inch smart TV and deeper sofas. That screen size turns a film night into a cinema, and it's the room everyone gravitates to after dark.

Bedrooms are spread across three floors. The first floor has a super-king double with a feature fireplace. The second floor has two king-size doubles. The top floor is the surprise. Another super-king under exposed beams and Velux windows, with an open-plan en-suite that has a roll-top bath, basin, and WC but no door and no shower. It's an unusual layout worth knowing about. The main shower room on the second floor has the only walk-in shower in the house, plus a bath, a heated towel rail, and a WC. A ground-floor cloakroom handles quick stops. Every bedroom has its own smart TV, hairdryer, and wireless charging port.

Out back, an enclosed courtyard has a dining set for eating outside and a hot tub for the evenings. Stone walls keep the wind off, and on a clear night, you can see stars from the water. A shed stores bikes, pushchairs, and whatever buckets and spades the week accumulates.

Izzy and Edwin, the owners, set the tone before you've unpacked. Prosecco, fresh eggs, bread, butter, tea, coffee, and flowers on the table. Robes laid out for the hot tub. They're quick to respond throughout your stay without ever hovering.

Parking needs a heads-up. Whitby's centre is a maze of permit zones and pay-and-display, and the house comes with permits for up to two cars, letting you park on nearby streets on a first-come, first-served basis. No guarantee of a spot directly outside, but once you're parked, leave the car. The shop and pub are a couple of minutes on foot, the beach is under half a mile, and the harbour is just downhill with its chip shops and backstreets. Head up the 199 steps for the long view from the Abbey, or drive twenty minutes to Scarborough for a bigger beach and SEA LIFE. Goathland is half an hour inland for a moorland walk and a pint at the pub where they filmed Heartbeat. Two dogs welcome, cot and highchair on request. Park once, walk everywhere, come home to a hot tub behind your own four walls.