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

Come for windswept family walks along miles of pebble beach, or take the high road to Culzean Castle, high above the Firth of Clyde (or the ferry from Cairnryan for a day in Belfast!). Come home to toasty floors and wood-burners, memory-foam mattresses and kitchens that are a delight to work in. There are three cottages here, independent but close enough should you be one big party; there's a table for 12 in the largest. Fisherman's Cottage is just that (and it's a lovely renovation); the other two are attractive eco builds. All three lie on the outskirts of untouristy Ballantrae (shop, post office, pub), a stroll from the old harbour, with safely fenced gardens from which you can sniff the sea. The interiors are new and spacious, fresh and fabulous, with themed furnishings (red for Beach, blue for Shore, dove-grey for Fisherman's) and great welcoming touches. Wooden shelves are home to iPod docks, games, guide books and shells, driftwood mirrors decorate restful walls, and entrance halls and porches display baskets of umbrellas, shrimping nets and cricket bats. The detail is second to none.