We have just returned from a truly wonderful New Year week staying at Tavern Rocks, a luxurious seaside retreat in St Mawes on the south coast of Cornwall.

This beautiful house is situated next to the trendy Tresanton Hotel and benefits from the same magnificent views across the bay. Interior designed to a fault, the owners have thought of all creature comforts down to the white fluffy towels and mini bathroom toiletries from The White Company in the bathrooms to the lobster pots and pickers and David Mellor cutlery in the kitchen. There is also a good selection of books in which to indulge, a Denon CD player, flat widescreen television and DVD player.

Tavern Rocks even boasts a wonderful decked terrace at the top of the architecturally designed garden - the views are so good we ate our supper up there twice despite it being late December!

There is as much or as little as you want to do in St Mawes - we went for long windy walks along the headland, climbed and played in the rockpools, ate delicious and freshly made Cornish pasties and even travelled to Falmouth by a little chugging ferry and spent a wonderful afternoon at the new and highly innovative National Maritime Museum.

If you are looking for a luxury break without the anonymity of a hotel, then this is a place for you. Wonderfully relaxing, a real treat.