Homes where you can pretend you're still on holiday – in pictures

If you like to be beside the seaside. A swimming pool, beach views and bathrooms that knock the spots off those in most hotels make this property in Shoreham, near Brighton, an ideal place to forget you've got work tomorrow. The layout is slightly odd for everyday family life – a huge living room and kitchen take up a floor between the master bedroom and three other sleeping areas, while a 'summer kitchen' is next to one of those bedrooms – but make the most of the panoramas. OK, there is a catch – the price tag is a not inconsiderable £2.35m, but as you gaze out to sea you can reflect on the fact you won’t ever have to spend a penny on flights again.
Winkworth, 01273 772 175 Photograph: Winkworth

If Landmark Trust holidays are your bag. This stunning pad in St Anns Bethesda, Bangor, should give you the holiday feeling every day; it even has balconies, for heaven’s sake. Set in about eight acres of land, with two rivers rumbling past, you might not feel the need to go to nearby Snowdonia national park to get away from it all. There are four bedrooms, three of them en suite, and an open-plan kitchen/diner and separate lounge, all with underfloor heating from a ground source heat pump. It’s yours for £450,000.
Haf Jones & Pegler, 01248 719001 Photograph: Haf Jones & Pegler

If you enjoy activity holidays. If this was featured in a holiday brochure, the Fairfield Hall development in Stotfold, Bedfordshire, would have a lot of ticks in the facilities matrix: swimming pool, health club, spa, tennis courts, a bowling green, a cricket pitch and even a restaurant. As the owner of this £225,000, two-bedroom flat you get easy access to the lot (sadly not for free – there is a £2,246 a year service charge and other costs to pay), plus your own slice of the hall’s east wing spread over two floors. Downstairs is an open-plan kitchen/diner/lounge, plus a small study and cloakroom; upstairs are the sleeping quarters and a bathroom. A bus takes you to the nearest station, where you can jump on a train to London and arrive in 35 minutes.
Taylors, 01462 889173 Photograph: Taylors

If barge holidays float your boat. In truth, Brentford, where this home is currently moored, is more likely to be a destination for business than for pleasure, being just a half-hour train journey from London Waterloo. But this 42ft narrowboat (called Henry) will allow you to recreate the experience of a break on Britain’s canals every day – and its working engine means you can set off any time you want. Onboard mod cons include a fitted kitchen with a fridge and oven, and a shower room. Henry is just £39,000, but a residential mooring on the Grand Union Canal on Brentford Island will cost about £5,000 a year.
Quilliam, 020 3318 7991 Photograph: Quilliam

If you enjoy camping. This former coach house in Eyton upon the Weald Moors, Shropshire, could be a stunning home one day – but in the meantime you will have to rely on your gas stove and chemical toilet. Planning permission has been given to turn it into a sizeable home with separate sitting and dining rooms, a summer room/office, a kitchen/breakfast room and four bedrooms, three of them en suite. It is listed, so some of your options will be limited, and until you get that roof on you’ll need your thickest sleeping bag. The guide price is £185,000.
Savills, 01952 739424 Photograph: Savills

If historic attractions attract you. You can own your own iron-age fort in the grounds of this £825,000, five-bedroom detached house in Crew Green, near Shrewsbury in Shropshire. The 17th century home at Bausley Hill Farm is a draw in its own right, with exposed beams and timbers inside and out. It was done up in 1993 and more recently extended to add a ground-floor bedroom with en suite bathroom – perfect for short- or long-term visitors. The estate agent says the “distinctive galleried iron age fort ... may have been the site of the last stand of Caractacus”. Imagine what the National Trust would charge you to see that.
Strutt & Parker, 01743 455267 Photograph: Strutt & Parker

If you prefer a winter break. As the summer ends, the skiers among us can at least take comfort from the fact that they can start planning their next trip to the slopes. Aviemore is the UK’s best-known resort, and you can buy this three-bedroom terrace in the town with an offer over £125,000. From your garden you can enjoy views of the Cairngorms. It’s heated with oil central heating.
Remax, 01479 816107 Photograph: remax