Kent holiday cottage: Offham, West Malling

Pippins Cottage, less than three miles' walk from the picturesque town of West Malling, provided us with the perfect romantic autumn retreat.

Tucked away in a private courtyard, the property (which felt more like a small converted barn than a cottage - it's bigger than it looks in the pictures) was clean, warm and welcoming. The owners had equipped it with everything guests could possibly need for a week's holiday - and were also kind enough to leave bread, milk, eggs, chocolate and wine (the essentials!) in the kitchen for our arrival.

Steve was helpful and friendly, giving clear road directions and recommendations for places to eat. Although he was on hand whenever we needed anything and his house shares the same courtyard as Pippins Cottage, we felt as though the cottage was very much 'ours' for the week.

We would recommend Pippins Cottage to family and friends (the well-behaved quiet ones, anyway!) for the property alone, but there is so much to see in the surrounding areas. We visited Canterbury, Whitstable, Leeds Castle and the vineyard and cider works at Biddenden ... and even Brighton, which was only an hour's drive. If your visit falls on the right Sunday of the month, it's definitely worth supporting the West Malling Farmers' Market too (especially if you like cheese, real ale or homemade pies).

Overall, we just wanted a quiet holiday 'away from it all' - and that's exactly what we got. Being keen backpackers, we seldom return to the same place twice (too much of the world to see!) ... but maybe we'll make an exception for this one.