insideSUSSEX Magazine Issue 14 - April 2016 | Page 60

GETAWAYS

Sandways at Camber Sands

a blissful beachside getaway
A 1930s weatherboard house turned retro holiday home, Sandways, a very stylish but informal
beachside cottage, is set just minutes away from the magnificent beach at Camber Sands. With
four big bedrooms, a spacious garden (with visiting donkeys no less) and a glorious sundeck that
runs the entire length of the property, it’s a fantastic escape for stressed-out city types, families
looking to spend some quality time together, or groups of friends who want to hold a celebration
somewhere special. B Y P O L L Y H U M P H R I S

Approaching Sandways, you can feel the stress dissipating; travelling
from bustling Brighton, we left the town behind us before passing through
various little villages and finally approaching the property with little else
but sheep and lush open countryside to distract us. Tucked away on a
quiet lane, there is nothing ramshackle about the property; in fact, it’s
really very cool. The black weatherboards marked proudly with a bright
red front door give the exterior just the right amount of edge, but in a
chic, not showy way.

the west-facing garden, and every effort has been made to instil calm:
other than one or two flashes of colour evinced in the quirky prints that
hang on the walls, all is white, and welcomingly so.
Reflecting on our time at Sandways, and where we found our natural
hub, it’s clear to see how easily adaptable the space is to the many
different groups that could visit it. Although the lounge is the biggest room
in the bungalow, and is kitted out with soft leather sofas and a television
connected to Apple TV – doubtless an ideal room for tired kids to flop in
after a day spent careering around the infamous Camber Sands dunes
– we found ourselves gathered in the kitchen more than anywhere else.
Socially focused, with a long wooden table at its centre and plenty of
room for food preparation, every evening was spent around that table;
a gaggle of good friends happily talking over each other and probably
drinking just a bit too much wine.

The interior follows suit seamlessly. Decorated in muted tones and
with an immediate beachy feel what strikes you instantly is how
light Sandways is. Painted white throughout and with grey wooden
floorboards, all but one of the rooms has floor-to-ceiling French doors
leading to the deckchair-laden decking outside and flooding the rooms
with natural light. Having undergone a recent contemporary makeover,
small touches of modern such as the industrial, brushed steel lighting that
hangs in the kitchen, combine beautifully with retro accessories like the
powder blue Roberts radio I spotted in the bedroom; nothing is forced,
and nothing is too stylised either, so you feel perfectly within your rights to
kick your shoes off and lounge around.

Although I imagine, especially during the colder months, that you could
happily while away a stay at Sandways moving no further than between
the kitchen, the lounge and your bedroom, we did venture out into nearby
Rye. No more than three miles walk away, along a country path that leads
you straight into the pretty, centuries-old town, Rye is well worth a visit
and strikes an interesting balance between more modern flourishes as
seen in the independent homeware and food shops that line its beautifully
clean streets, and the hugely atmospheric and historic – do not miss
Mermaid Street, a quaint and cobbled thoroughfare that dates back to
medieval times and is marked at one end by the Mermaid Inn, one of
England’s oldest inns with a rumoured resident ghost.

Myself and the five girlfriends that joined me on our jaunt did do a fair
bit of lounging around, of course; without the living alarm clock that is
children and in an environment free from traffic, it’s surprising how easily
lie-ins come. Plus, the bedrooms are each a peaceful haven in their own
right. The beds are very comfortable with crisp white sheets, soft feather
duvets and plump pillows that you can really sink into as you gaze out at

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