Why stay in a hotel on the beach with hundreds of other people you don't know when you could rent a villa with much more privacy. Nor will you have to traipse there daily, towel rolled up in hand, dodging fume-emitting traffic when you can wake up to the sound of the waves. Here's our pick of the best.
All prices are lowest and highest for 2002 based on one week's full occupancy unless otherwise stated.
1. Talenti's House
Fiskardo Bay, Cephalonia, Ionia, Greece
When you wake up, you can almost dive into the warm, turquoise Ionian sea from the terrace. Alternatively, stumble down the 12 steps from the terrace to a small jetty and plunge straight in. It is hard to get closer than this to the sea (although, perhaps, too easy for young children).
Hire a boat (25hp engine from £210 for six days) and chug down the coast for snorkelling or sunbathing in the lovely cove of Foki's Bay. Or hang a left to Fiskardo, the St Tropez of the Greek islands, a cosmopolitan harbour (where the boat must be returned each evening) for dinner, drinks or the island's sole club, after which you can stroll the 800 metres home.
This cool and private retreat is simply designed, with mod-cons, in traditional Greek style with fishing nets on the walls, pine-wood finish and an old wine barrel! The living-room and kitchen are upstairs, the bedrooms downstairs, with water lapping outside. There are magnificent views across Fiskardo Bay to a distant Ithaca from each. An access road, with the occasional moped put-putting along, runs directly behind.
· Simply Travel (020 8541 2202). £510-£610 per person (sleeps six) including flights and transfers.
2. Skorpithi Villas
Skorpithi Bay, Korakias, Lefkas, Ionia, Greece
Lefkas is where the Greeks holiday. These three buildings are wonderfully secluded from the rest of humanity, several dirt tracks from the main road, sitting snugly among the cypress trees, over their own private bay. They command great views of distant mountains; ferries stream past to the small islands dotted off the coast. Along with the helpful owners who live in one of the six apartments, you will share this oasis of peace with a maximum of 20 others.
Alternate between the cool, stone-washed walls and marble floor of the interior and the shingle strip, boat jetty and inviting water. Because the sea-bed is pebbly, visibility is great for snorkelling and a reef is within a short boat ride. Take a boat around the coast and moor at one of the many caves eroded into the cliff face.
The high-rise hotel town of Nidri is nine kilometres (five miles) away if company is desired. But perhaps you will prefer the restaurant 10 minutes' walk away, as Skorpithi Villas is the perfect destination for those who want to chill out on their own bit of coastline.
· Simply Travel (020 8541 2202). £420-£540 per person (sleeps five), including flights and car hire.
3. Sundowner
Olhos d'Agua Beach, Algarve, Portugal
To scale the heights of luxury, climb the 25 steps from the golden Olhos d'Agua Beach to the Sundowner, a Bond villain's lair of a place, complete with indoor and outdoor pools, Jacuzzi, pool table, master suite, courtyard, live-in maid and caretaker, original works of art, magnificent views of the coastline and, of course, the Atlantic Ocean blue.
With its prime clifftop position, terraced gardens and picture windows, the property's spectacular location will never be wasted.
· Villa Agency (01392 424400). £5,390-£7,590 complete (sleeps 11), includes complementary reception hamper and maid service.
4. Maenporth Cottage
Maenporth Beach, Cornwall
If you envy King Arthur his seaside retreat at Tintagel, travel 60 kilometres (37 miles) south to the next best thing, Maenporth Cottage. The traditional coastguard's cottage nestles into the side of a hill, with views out to the Channel and across the Lizard peninsula. The grounds include 10 acres of woodland and two paddocks. The house has a balcony and terrace, and a minstrel's gallery inside.
A steep, private footpath winds down to the pale, sandy beach which is sheltered, so is ideal for swimming.
There are three golf courses within 10 miles, and three important semi-tropical gardens within reach, including Heligan Gardens and the Eden Project within 30-40 minutes' drive. Pets not allowed.
· Classic Cottages (01326 555555). Cottage number 722 £774-£2,058 complete (sleeps 10).
5. La Canadell
Calella de Palafrugell Beach, Costa Brava, Spain
When your kids want to go to the beach and all you want is to sit back and enjoy a glass of Rioja, no one need be disappointed. From the balcony of each of these eight attractive apartments you not only get magnificent views of the bay, but can also see the entire stretch of the beach and keep an eye on your children in comfort.
Set in a pleasant coastal village in Tamariu, on the Costa Brava, with steep cliffs and pine covered hills tumbling down to the Mediterranean, this is a great location.
The sixteenth-century castle at Begur and the medieval town of Pals are nearby, there are tens of beautiful beaches both up and down the coast, but, then again, why move an inch?
· Spanish Harbour Holidays (08700 270506). £450-£816 complete (sleeps five). Flights or ferries can be arranged.
6. Villa Thalassa
Peyia, Cyprus
If being by the beach is not enough, perhaps a swimming-pool and landscaped garden will tip the balance in favour of Villa Thalassa. After having breakfast on the large, arched terrace overlooking the Aegean, you can either wander through the specialist designed gardens and dive in, or stay a while and sunbathe around the rock-decorated pool.
For secluded luxury, this is hard to beat, but if you get lonely you are just a six- minute drive from Coral Bay, where water sports, food, drink and busy nightlife are available.
· Sunvil Holidays (020 8568 4499). £450-£561 per person (sleeps eight), including flights and car hire.
7. Fioravanti
Tizzano, Gulf of Valinco, Corsica
Step from your large, shaded terrace on to a broad stretch of sandy beach and into the crystalline sea. The Fioravanti apartments (there are four with one bedroom and one with three bedrooms) are a short walk from the unspoilt fishing village of Tizzano, and are appropriately decorated with a maritime theme.
This coastline, to the south of the Gulf of Valinco, is an area of rocks, maquis, little, sandy coves, footpaths and tracks, steeped in history. At nearby Cauro, you can walk through the maquis to an amazing alignment of menhirs and, not far away, is a dolmen (which was either a tomb or a sacrificial table).
The village has two or three good restaurants - one rated by locals as excellent - plus a village shop (open in season). Corsica's touristic specialities - watersports, horseriding, river-rafting - are all on offer locally.
The Napoleon museum is 90 minutes away in the emperor's birthplace, Ajaccio; the final resting place and remains of a Neolithic man are 45 minutes away in Filitosa.
· Corsican Places (01903 748145). One-bedroom apartments £355-£641 per person (sleeps three), three bedroom apartment £323-542 per person (sleeps six). Prices include car hire and return flights.
8. The Windmill
Ormos Tskalia, Patitiri, Alonissos, Greece
Converted industrial buildings are rarely as romantic as this one. On the quietest of the Sporades Islands, Alonissos, in splendid isolation and only a few metres from the water's edge, stands this windmill. When the wind blows, the sails spin, but climb the external stairs and unlock the doors to find bedrooms, kitchen, dining-room and balconies overlooking the north-west Aegean.
There are no neighbours here on 'broken pottery beach' and, while contemplating a swim, you can find small pieces of ancient amphorae among the soft, dark sand and large pebbles.
Go snorkelling in the crystal-clear water watched only by the umbrella palms, or travel inland where you are more likely to stumble across Alonissosians dressed traditionally in black, or the tinkling of bells heralding the proximity of goats and their herd, than other tourists.
The island's only town (which is actually more of a village), Patitiri, with its harbour, shops, tavernas and 'ouzeries' is 15 minutes away by car. The windmill sits on the west coast of the island, more rugged and dramatic than the east, and there are many coastal trails emerging from pine forests to reveal the dramatic scenery and deserted beaches.
· Greek Islands Club (020 8232 9780) £465-£645 per person (sleeps four), including car hire, flights and hydrofoil.
9. Lo Zucchino
Villasimius Beach, Sardinia
Following a long tradition of foreign invaders - the Phoenicians, Carthaginians, Romans and Moors - eat your breakfast sardines looking out over the cobalt waters of the Mediterranean from the Sardinian coast. This stylish villa, set in lawned gardens just a step up from a beautiful sandy beach, is perfect for sun-worshippers, boating enthusiasts and those who wish to explore the mountainous interiors, majestic forests of pine, oak or chestnut and the aromatic maquis.
If the ever-present sparkling sea turns your thoughts to legendary British sailors such as Lord Nelson, drink in the nostalgia with a glass of his favourite, locally produced Marsala wine.
· The Owner's Syndicate (020 7801 9807). £1,170-£2,745 complete (sleeps six), including car hire. Flights can be arranged.
10. Villa Kerleven
nr Le Foret, Brittany, France
A beachfront villa that shows that Brittany can be much more than camping and caravans, it's just a few steps through Villa Kerleven's garden to the beach. The two-storey villa has a fully equipped kitchen, including dishwasher, microwave and fridge-freezer. The dining-room opens on to the garden to add to greenery your sandy holiday.
Upstairs there are two twin rooms with balconies overlooking the garden, two en suite doubles and one room with bunk beds. For a surcharge of £150 per week, there is another bedroom downstairs. A downstairs shower-room is perfect for washing after the beach, or before you go out to the local shops, or the nearby fourteenth-century walled town of Concarneau.
· Direct Travel (0870 770 0370). Five/six bedrooms, sleeps 10/12. £799 to £1,586 including a Dover-Calais sea crossing for one vehicle.
