The Hillock

The Hillock sits on Yaverland Road at the point where farmland, the coastal path, and the eastern arc of Sandown Bay converge. The path connects directly from the drive (no road to cross) with Yaverland Beach within easy reach on foot and the long promenade toward Shanklin unfolding beyond. Glimpses of the bay are visible from the upper levels, and on a clear day the walk to the water takes less than ten minutes.

The house has been completely renovated and the kitchen and dining room is its centrepiece: a substantial shaker-style kitchen in warm sage-grey, with a central island, herringbone-tiled splashback, white enamel pendant lights, and a Belfast sink beneath a crittall window that looks onto the garden. A long oak dining table sits in the same open space, designed for slow meals and easy movement between courses. The bedrooms carry the same considered palette (ticking stripe and natural linen, crittall-style windows, good natural light) and two generous sitting rooms give the group genuine room to spread out.

The rhythm here is its own. Breakfast happens late, around the oak table, light coming through the crittall windows onto the remains of the night before. The coastal path is there when you want it, straight from the drive, the bay opening up as the lane gives way to shoreline. Come back salt-aired and ready for the kitchen, which handles ten without effort or compromise. Across the road, the geometric bamboo domes of Wildheart Animal Sanctuary punctuate the treeline: built to house the sanctuary's lemurs, their hexagonal forms visible from the upper floors on a clear day, a quietly extraordinary thing to have as a neighbour.

Ten guests sleep across five bedrooms: three king rooms, a twin, and a bunk room. Four bathrooms with separate ground floor loo throughout, including a ground-floor en-suite. A dedicated home office and parking for four cars on the drive.

The kind of house where you open a drawer and find exactly what you were looking for.