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

A picture of Gittisham, and in particular this row of ducky thatched cottages opposite the church, could be lifted straight onto a chocolate box; Prince Charles described it as "one of the perfect English villages." A smartly painted green front door leads you straight into the warm sitting room with its red sofa and gas wood burner, heavy wooden beams and long row of books; off here is the kitchen and dining area, with cream painted wood panelling, an old pine table and terracotta floor. Behind a suitably rustic dark wood door, a winding staircase leads to the light and uncluttered bedroom with a handmade wooden bed, white painted walls, heavy beams and oatmeal carpet; the bathroom is not large but has sparkling white tiles and plenty of fluffy towels. Sadly there is no pub in the village, but you are near to Combe House Hotel for stunning meals, and Honiton has excellent shops if you just want to stock up and do for yourselves. You have your own good-sized rear garden with cottage favourites and scented roses in the beds, a small patio area and a wooden summer house; lovely for outdoor eating in warm weather. Around you are interminable windy lanes with fecund hedges, swoops to hills and dives to the sea.