National Trust - Portland House, Dorset

Live the high life at Portland House, looking for all the world like it has stepped out of an Agatha Christie novel, and where luxury and Art Deco styling fill every room with elegance. Positioned on the hill overlooking Portland Harbour, with not one but two wonderful terraces for enjoying those glimmering sea views with a cocktail or two.

Perfect for friends' reunions and birthday weekends, the tropical climate of this area of Dorset gives this stylish and unusual house the feel of a Hollywood villa, where you've stepped back in time to a more glamorous era. As soon as you've driven down the palm-lined driveway you'll realise how special this house is.

Inside this National Trust-owned house, many of the original 1930s features have survived, including the bathrooms, light fittings and the kitchen, and they're carefully balanced with period furniture and stylish furnishings to provide a holiday house that you won't forget in a hurry. Most of the rooms open out onto the terraces and the sea views are enchanting. It's easy to imagine having cocktails in the sitting room, which opens out onto the terrace, before a celebratory meal in the formal dining room where the blue, arched Crittal windows also give direct terrace access.

A total of 7 bedrooms sleep up to 12 guests, with some at ground floor level. A spectacular staircase leads to the remaining bedrooms. All are spacious and with many retained Art Deco features including vast arched windows and doors opening onto the terraces, and furnished in keeping with the style of the house.

The West Dorset Heritage Coast is on your doorstep as is the seaside town of Weymouth and beyond that the Jurassic Coast (famous for fossils) stretches out beyond.

All photos - National Trust Images / Mike Henton