Ptarmigan Cottage

Ptarmigan Cottage sits 15 metres from the shore at Harrapool, just outside Broadford on the south of Skye. At low water the tide pulls back the best part of 100 metres, and when it comes in again it stops at the bottom of the garden. Otters cross the shore now and then. There's a pair of giant binoculars in the lounge for exactly this reason, alongside a tide clock, a piano and a gas living-flame fire.

The cottage was designed with two people in mind, and it shows in every room. Donnie Macphie, who runs it with his partner Kat, was born on the island, and his forefathers were stonemasons brought over by Macleod Estates to work on Dunvegan Castle. His mum ran the place as a five-star self-catering cottage until she retired in 2008, and the family have kept the standard up since. The interior was refitted by a local ship's carpenter in traditional V-lining, so the rooms have the snug, timber-clad feel of a boat cabin.

The bedroom holds a seven-foot Emperor bed with Egyptian cotton linen and a view over the bay when you wake. The bathroom goes further than most: his and hers roll top baths, matching washbasins, a walk-in power shower and a music link through from the bedroom. Outside, a Swedish sauna looks straight out over Broadford Bay, with an outdoor bath tub beside it plumbed with hot and cold taps. A soak under open sky with the water a few steps away takes some beating, whatever the weather is doing.

Dogs are welcome, the kitchen is well stocked and a generous hospitality pack greets you on arrival. Broadford village is minutes up the road for supplies and dinner. It's a rare thing on Skye, a couples' cottage this close to the water that hasn't cut corners anywhere.