Kimberley's Cottage Guernsey

Nowhere is too far from anywhere on Guernsey – but that’s especially true of the sweet self-catering accommodation at Kimberley’s Cottage. Situated halfway between the island’s small airport and St Peter Port, where the ferries from England and France arrive, it's easy to get to and from, no more than two miles from either. And although the little lodge and cottage at Kimberley’s have a countryside setting, it’s just 10 minutes’ walk to the nearest beach and less than that to a great restaurant and bar. But it’s not just the location that makes Kimberley’s such an alluring Channel Islands place to stay, it’s also the accommodation itself.

Choose between a cosy bolthole for two, Mango Lodge, and family-sized Bumblebee Cottage. Each is as charming as the other. Located in the garden of a 16th-century house, they each occupy an old outbuilding that’s been renovated to host guests. The style inside is rustic and cosy and owes something to the ski chalets of Austria and Bavaria. with timber-clad walls, faux-fur throws and animal skin rugs. But that doesn’t mean it’s old-fashioned. Each of the accommodations has a clean and modern bathroom, a Smart TV, wifi and cooking facilities. In Mango Lodge, a kitchenette includes a fridge, coffee machine and hob; in Bumblebee there’s a full-sized kitchen.

Mango Lodge is an open-plan studio-style space built out of a renovated goat shed (though you’d never know it), while Bumblebee Cottage offers separate rooms. Downstairs, there’s a kitchen, bathroom and living room with a sofa that can be converted into a kingsized bed. Upstairs the lofty bedroom has four good-sized single beds so it can sleep a total of six. The outside space – a deck with a fire pit, a lawn and a barn – is shared and likely to be well used given the pristine night skies here. Guernsey’s tourist board is in a constant battle with nearby Jersey over which island has more sun, but frankly, that detail is irrelevant. What matters is that it’s one of the warmest and sunniest places in the UK.

Owners Kim and Klaus have renovated these garden boltholes themselves and they provide more than might be expected. Their welcome pack sets you up for a continental-style breakfast on your first day, they’ll pick you up from the airport if you need it, and they have a pair of electric bikes you can hire. While you’re here, that’s the only transport you’ll need – unless you want to island-hop or take the ferry to St Malo in France. At 5 kilometres by 10 kilometres top to bottom, Guernsey’s historic sites and beautiful beaches are eminently explorable on two wheels or even two feet.