Brema Hotel

The clatter of trams and the salt-sharp breeze off the Irish Sea reach you even before you've unpacked — this is Blackpool base-camp style, a guest house with a handful of camping pods tucked behind for those who want a roof but not quite four walls.

It suits couples chasing the Illuminations without the caravan park crowds, walkers doing the coastal path in stretches, or anyone who fancies the Pleasure Beach by day and a proper pillow by night. The pods offer that middle ground between canvas and B&B luxury, and because it's guest-house run, there's usually someone about if you need pointing toward chip shops or the Winter Gardens. Dogs are a maybe — worth asking when you book. Blackpool itself divides opinion, but if you're here for the seaside tat, the Tower, or an off-season stroll along the prom, you're right in the thick of it.

Facilities aren't listed in detail, so check what's included with your pod when you reserve. Campfires need asking about on arrival. Open all year, which makes it handy for the Christmas lights or a blustery spring weekend when everywhere else is shut.