Heiton Mill House, near Kelso

A converted 18th-century watermill on the Teviot river, Heiton Mill House whispers secluded luxury, with wooden floors, super-kingsize beds, a high-spec kitchen and huge, glass-framed river views. Sit and spot otters, herons and oystercatchers then walk the mile downstream to Kelso for a pub lunch. Dogs aren’t allowed in the house, but heated on-site kennels mean you needn’t leave Fido at home.
• 01573 226711, crabtreeandcrabtree.com. Sleeps 10, from £1,650 a week
Wheelchair access

Cloister House, Melrose

Not everyone is comfortable sleeping beside a graveyard but it helps when it’s as pretty as this. Formerly the parish manse, this graceful Georgian house is managed by the Vivat Trust and comes with clawfoot baths, open fires and a games room. It overlooks the ruins of Melrose Abbey, said to be where Robert the Bruce’s heart is buried.
• 01981 550753, vivat.org.uk. Sleeps 8, from £894 a week
Pets allowed

Barns Tower, Kirkton Manor

Rising above the river Tweed like an ancient pink Tardis, this 14th-century tower is as romantic as cottages come. Open fires, stone floors and oak beams are paired with a new galley kitchen and a freestanding bath. Though it’s best for a couple, you can squeeze in two more thanks to a little box bed and pull-out in the living room. Just west of Peebles, it’s also well placed for mountain bikers, with easy access to the trails at Glentress.
• 07747 791931, sawdays.co.uk. Sleeps 2, from £495 a week
Pets allowed

8 Victoria Road, North Berwick

This unassuming stone cottage hides a dramatic glass extension and a long garden complete with sauna cabin for warming up after a swim in the sea. It’s stylish and comfortable and, though not fully wheelchair accessible, has a useful ground-floor bedroom. Stroll 100 metres in one direction and you’re at the beach, head in the other for North Berwick’s shops, cafes and pubs.

• 01620 890294, gonetothebeach.co.uk. Sleeps 7, from £820 a week
Pets allowed

The Blue Cabin, Cockburnspath

An hour from Edinburgh, this blue-painted cabin sits on Cove Harbour, a mile from Cockburnspath. Inside it’s a testimony to its owners’ creativity, with fretwork beds (one box, one bunk), seaweed-shaped door handles, mirrors covered with shells, and two Orkney chairs beside a woodburning stove. The birthplace of John Muir, father of the US national parks, is close by, at the end of the John Muir Way.

• 07999 755825, bluecabinbythesea.co.uk. Sleeps 4, from £550 a week
Pets allowed

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