Special Places to Stay - More than a bed for the night

Sugar-dipped in 50s nostalgia, this new upbeat bungalow sits in peaceful countryside, five miles from Bude on the north Cornish coast. Inside... a vinyl sideboard, a drinks cabinet like a boat's prow, a suitcase-style record player for LPs – and iPods. Seagulls swoop over sky-blue walls, a beige three-suite piece curves by the fire and the pièce de résistance is the American diner-style kitchen, all harlequin floors, pink and green walls and aluminium. Even crockery is vintage – taste the nostalgia. Fling open French windows to a sheltered garden where kids can play while you barbecue. Store outdoorsy paraphernalia in the shed: bring surfboards, spades, bikes, boots for woodland walks and beach-hopping. You'll sleep deeply in cosy bedrooms where the loudest thing is the wallpaper (extravagant black-and-white in the master bedroom, with curtains and retro lights to match). Kids get full-size bunks with fun checked blankets and books from your childhood, there's Pears soap in the screaming red lino bathroom, 50s posters in the WC. Bags of character and fabulously positioned – with tongue firmly in cheek.