Complacency is seriously dangerous in any relationship! If you are in either choppy or calm waters, then you need the calm of a harbour.

Is there any stress that a cream tea can’t handle? Can any hostility survive the twin assaults of a deep bath and a drink brought to it by the object of the hostility? A wood-burner and a rowing boat would do the trick for me.

All are available in these remarkable places-for-two.

Certain words - ladder, eaves, brass kettle, Welsh oak, hickory, guinea-fowl, kingfishers, seagrass, apple trees, quayside, grey linen, seagulls, Shaker, granite – hint at the ones I am most drawn to, but you will find your own quiet and perfect place here.

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LONDON AND THE SOUTH EAST

1 903 Nell Gwynn House, Sloane Avenue, Chelsea, London
Tel: 07818 062122. From £650 to £950 per week

This chic bolthole, high on the top floor of a superbly central Art Deco block, has fabulous views to the Gherkin and the London Eye. In the living room are striped cushions, a dark-chocolate sofabed and wooden floors; the open-plan kitchen has pale leather chairs and a circular glass table adorned with white china and sparkling glassware.

Peek into the neutral-toned, attic-cosy bedroom where deep pink, gold and silken brown cushions luxuriate beside white linen and plump feather pillows. The white and taupe bathroom is just off the bedroom, and there’s a separate loo. The communal corridors are smart and the entrance area is as swish as you wish - and you have all the advantages of an upmarket hotel (daily maid, concierge, location) as well as your independence.

Chelsea lies at your feet; both the King's Road and Fulham Road, awash with stylish shops, bars and restaurants, are just a few hundred metres away, Sloane Square, Knightsbridge and South Kensington (with its wonderful museums) a 10-15 minute walk.

2 Seascape, 20 The Suttons, Camber, Sussex
Tel: 01797 224754. From £875 to £1050 per week

Miles of white sand and shoreline are yours at this chalet-style sanctuary right on the beach. You’ll be smitten by its quirkiness: the wood-burner with its rowing boat surround; the smatterings of reclaimed timber in mantelpieces, shelves and objets d’art. Dramatic sea views encircle your driftwood bed, one of Mark’s beautiful creations; he has a driftwood gallery in Rye.

After showering in a sparkling bathroom - all polished chrome, limed floorboards and driftwood shelves - unwind on the balcony to the sound of the waves. Or indulge in one of Julie’s reflexology treatments: she’ll pop over from her house next door to pamper you. In summer the beach is an extension of the living room, an outdoors trunk spills wetsuits, spades and games, and there’s a barbecue for seafront grills.

The focus downstairs is the fireplace (logs provided); from both floors are glorious vistas you just can’t escape and TVs live in bedrooms instead. Floorboards are beautifully stripped, fabrics are cream and biscuit, and rooms are dotted with portholes, shells and wrought-iron candlesticks; on the ground-floor are a single room and extra wc. Stone tiles and bleached wooden doors lead to the fresh little kitchen - no washing machine but Julie will launder for you. Make this your beach base for pottering around pretty towns, dunes and castles, or day-tripping to France by ferry. Fabulous.

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