The Penhaven Country House Hotel near Bideford has 12 guest rooms but in the grounds are also 15 pretty Devon cottages available to buy on a fractional freehold basis

The Penhaven Country House Hotel sits in 10 acres of manicured grounds near Bideford in North Devon, only about two miles from the sea. It's one of the prettiest areas of England, and parts of the hotel date back to the 17th century. England's west country is so popular, though, that it can be hard to find accommodation in August and other busy holiday periods. At Penhaven there's a solution – take a share in one of the 12 cottages dotted around the gorgeous grounds. Fractional freehold is different from timeshare, as you do own the bricks and mortar.

Here you can buy a share in one of the cottages for 999 years from £19,500 (US$36,600). This allows you exclusive use of the cottage for up to five weeks in the year – two weeks in the peak summer months, two in spring or autumn, and one off-peak week. That works out at about £4 (US$7.50) per week, which sounds like a bargain to me for anyone who likes to visit Devon regularly. You can, of course, hand your share in the property on to your children. If you can't make any of the weeks, you can also rent the cottage out or let the Penhaven Estate do it for you.

It's a sensible way to own a second home, without the worries of upkeep. The Estate does all that for you, for an annual maintenance charge, so you don't face the prospect of going down for a week's break and spending the first few days mowing the lawn, doing the garden and repairing any damage done.

Although the cottages are of course self-catering, you can even be lazy and go to the Penhaven Country House Hotel for your meals, or just as a treat. Its restaurant serves locally-sourced organic food, buying fish direct from the local fishermen, locally-reared organic lamb and beef, and local cheeses.

A holiday at Penhaven is a good way to check out the area and look at the cottages. In fact it's a good idea anyway. It's got just 12 ensuite rooms, all with views of the grounds, and the cost is only £80 per night per room (US$150), including breakfast. I've stayed at some country house hotels where you pay almost that much for breakfast alone!

To find out more about Penhaven Cottages, click here

To check out the Penhaven Country House Hotel click here

To see my review of the book Organic Places to Stay click here