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

Families can have a ball in this handsome listed house, behind high walls with sweeping gardens. The place exudes centuries-old charm: uneven floors, bumpy walls, boxed-in staircases and a beautiful antique basin in the downstairs loo. Adults have easy sofas in a bright sitting room to sink into – and a cosy wood-burner – as kids scamper over tiled floors topped by Turkish kilims, or trot through French windows to the sheltered garden; its flat lawn is ideal for ball games. Cook up a feast on the Aga in the smart farmhouse kitchen (there's an electric oven too), then gather around the scrubbed farmhouse table. For summer there's a sheltered terrace. Up steep stairs are two single rooms on the first floor with dainty window seats; above are the doubles. If you need help with anything, ask generous Dawn, who keeps it immaculate; she also keeps hens and sheep. The village is quiet and has a good pub; the Jurassic Coast, with its chalk, coves and pretty villages, is two miles off; the nearest beach 20 minutes. A holiday home for unpretentious people – big, easy, great fun.