Hosts with the Most: Summer Self-Catering Escapes in Essex

Where will you stay this summer?

Idle Waters, Dedham, Essex

Sounding a little like a Blues singer, Idle Waters in Dedham, Essex marked a departure from luxury hotel accommodation for Milsoms Hotels & Restaurants when it opened a couple of years ago. The redbrick, two-bedroom, 16th-century cottage is just across a narrow stretch of the River Stour from Michelin-starred Le Talbooth restaurant. It’s so close you could almost shout your order over. Perfectly blending hotel-style luxury with home comforts, the open-plan kitchen and dining area opens onto the garden. There are enough rustic touches – a redbrick inglenook fireplace, uneven floors, dark open beams - to satisfy the country setting but the rest is pure urban luxe, from pink perspex framed-pop art to Champagne-cork stools and huge leather sofas. Dog and child-friendly, the cottage can be booked for any number of nights, sleeps four people and two (lucky) dogs. There are plenty of walks nearby through Constable Country, spots for paddleboarding, canoeing and cycling, all of which can be arranged on booking.

Available from 10 July, seven nights costs £2,000 including a welcome pack with wine and beer, complimentary use of the outdoor pool (heated all year round), pool house and tennis court at Maison Talbooth To book call 01206 323150.

Osea Island, Maldon, Essex

A unique combination of isolation and glamour define Osea island in the River Blackwater near Maldon. The 400-acre private island has been a top-secret naval base a rehab clinic Amy Winehouse checked into, and since pop producer Nigel Frieda bought it, a peaceful retreat for A-listers such as Poppy Delavigne and Jaime Winston to party in private. The accommodation comes in the form of a cute village of houses including an Edwardian manor house and smaller cottages with a saltwater swimming pool, gym and music studio, clubhouse, and a couple of unsociable donkeys. You need a code to drive across the bumpy causeway built by the Romans (celebs and wealthy guests helicopter in from London) leading to the island, only available twice a day.

Now open for bookings, two-night minimum stay, the Sweetshop Cottage has a warming wood burner, sleeps two, £245 per night.