Kings House

Kings House stands in a white stucco terrace on Queens Promenade with the sea directly across the road. Blue-painted surrounds pick out three storeys of canted bay, and a pair of clipped bay trees flank the door.

The forecourt is brick-paved and planted hard: a long bed of pinks, reds and yellows under the sign, pots crowded around the steps, palms on the promenade beyond the railings. The sign itself spells out what the house is and that every room has a bathroom of its own.

Morris paper and white linen

The guest lounge takes the bay at the front, with sofas and armchairs drawn round a low table so the windows do the work. Bedrooms have been decorated one at a time rather than to a single scheme. Morris-style papers in green, blue and coral sit above panelled dados, birds and flowers climb the walls elsewhere, and plaster ceiling roses carry glass pendants. Linen is white and tightly made, towels folded at the foot, a tea tray on the chest.

Rooms facing the water

Front rooms look straight out over the promenade to the sea through tall sashes and long curtains; those at the back are quieter and face inland. Beds run from extra-large doubles to twin singles, and one room takes three singles. There is also a ground-floor studio with a private entrance and a small kitchen to itself. Bathrooms are tiled in mosaic or geometric patterns, and the upper floors are reached by stairs rather than a lift.

Out on Queens Promenade

The sea is across the road, Douglas Beach with it, and the promenade walk carries you along the bay into the middle of Douglas.

Who it works for

A good fit for couples who want the water in the window, and for families needing a triple room or the self-contained studio. The stairs are worth knowing about if you are carrying much luggage, but the trade-off is a room on the promenade instead of a street behind it.