We've stayed in cottages all over Britain, loved them all, but never return to the same location in case we ruin the mem...

We've stayed in cottages all over Britain, loved them all, but never return to the same location in case we ruin the memory. However, I can't stand the thought we'll never return to Merrylee.

It blows you away, gets under your skin, relaxes you and inspires all at the same time and in equal measure. I've never experienced anything like it. Not a religious person but - god! - It's magical.

The cottage itself is idyllic, in its architecture, its grounds - "quaint" doesn't do it justice; it's beautiful in a truly substantial way. It has every characteristic the tourist could demand of "an Argyll cottage" but is never twee.

The lovely modern kitchen and huge, new, main bathroom, along with the lounge, reading snug and bedrooms are, combined with the immaculate and sizeable back garden (more of a lawn than a garden), all you would need for a great family holiday. The art on the walls is as noticeably yet unobtrusively tasteful as the decor.

The location, however, is what pushes Merrylee from the realms of merely relaxing over the edge and into the truly heavenly. Such tranquillity is usually only found by driving off-road but Merrylee manages to be brilliantly accessible too. Not that you'll ever know it but it sits directly on a main road. Minard is such a small, quiet village - which provides, on Merrylee's front doorstep, a lovely, easy "seaside" walk - you might be glad of the odd passing truck out front to remind you there is other human life around. Not that you'll remember there's anything at the front of the building because, as soon as you park in the driveway and get your first glimpse of what's out back, you're being sucked into the gob-smacking beauty of Loch Fyne which, basically, sits at the foot of the garden and makes the entire cottage - and garden! - feel like it's floating slowly down the water.

As soon as you enter the front of the cottage, open the double storm doors before you and the view will just melt you, instantly. Sleep with the blinds open because it's the most magical morning you'll ever wake up to. There's one tiny boat docked in the water just off the shore, which is viewable from every loch-facing room in the house and is, I'm sure, merely there for artists' perspective. This is like living in an oil-painted scene.

There's so much to do and see in this area of Scotland but on our few forrays to the oyster restaurant or down the beautiful drive to Tarbert, all we wanted to do was get back to Merrylee, sit on the terrace at the rear - even just sit at the lounge window if it rains - and let the scenery consume us.

We were here in October - I can only imagine what it's like in summer - but the ever-changing water, the eastern shore of the loch, and the tiny islands in-between, offer lighthouses, a castle, birdlife, distant farmhouses and the odd passing boat - all within the backdrop of the endless, lovely hills and the pebbles and sand of the beach at the bottom of the garden.

Go through the garden gate and explore Achagoyle Bay - there's a lovely walk along to the right, which becomes hidden path after a few hundred yards across the pebbles, taking you ultimately out at the far point of the bay. But just sitting at the cottage you can watch the weather change in front of you - see the clouds rolling down the hills and the water of the loch changing colour and texture, all while the birds sing and the odd passing boat buzzes gently in the distance.

Frankly, it's all so beautiful it's ridiculous. Without a word of a lie, at one point there was a double rainbow stretching from the far shore to the roof of the cottage, with a robin signing in one tree in the garden while apples literally fell from another. I watched a grey heron land on the beach, between an oystercatcher and a curlew.

If I hadn't been here, I'd have thought Merrylee was a fairy-tale. but it's a living postcard. Stay here as soon as you can because the moment I win the lottery I'll be buying it.

Cottage has all the facilities that you would expect and in a great location on the loch.
Negative point was that I...

Cottage has all the facilities that you would expect and in a great location on the loch.
Negative point was that I couldn't see the steepness of the stairs mentioned anywhere. They were so steep that additional hand grab rails had been provided. We just about managed but someone with any kind of limited mobility wouldn't

Our response:

Thanks for your comments. The cottage has been rented for over 10 years to couples and families with young children, as ...

Thanks for your comments. The cottage has been rented for over 10 years to couples and families with young children, as well as undergoing regular inspections and no issue has ever been raised with the stairs. The owner will, however, review this when she next visits.

It was clean, tidy and had everything we needed. Including blankets for the cooler nights. Loved the games cupboard. Cou...

It was clean, tidy and had everything we needed. Including blankets for the cooler nights. Loved the games cupboard. Could do with some oven gloves and a second key!

Our response:

We're glad you had a good time. Oven gloves are provided so apologies if they weren't left out. Front and back door keys...

We're glad you had a good time. Oven gloves are provided so apologies if they weren't left out. Front and back door keys are provided so that usually suffices.

Dit was absoluut een van de betere huisjes die ik ooit heb gehuurd. Het huis was goed en gezellig ingericht, mooie mater...

Dit was absoluut een van de betere huisjes die ik ooit heb gehuurd. Het huis was goed en gezellig ingericht, mooie materialen, het was zeer schoon en alles werkte. Heel fijne douche, lekkere bedden.

Fantastic location - cottage of the highest quality and comfort -