Great New Year party pads

On a boat, in a castle, in a lighthouse... No need to trash your own house when there's still time to rent a fabulous party pad for New Year, say Pandora Sykes and Lucy Hunter Johnston...

TO THE LIGHTHOUSE
What Perched on the clifftop above Herne Bay in Kent, it's hard to miss The Lighthouse's New England-style blue clapboard walls.
Who Selkies, twitchers and ramblers. The garden has direct access down a
cliff path to the sea, and is set in the 65-acre Reculver Country Park, renowned for being home to more than 150 types of migrating birds including brent geese and turnstones.
Interior Beach babes will feel right at home – not only can you see the sea from almost every window, but the four wooden bedrooms are painted in faded pastels and decorated with seascapes and shells scavenged from the strands below. The octagonal living room has a wood-burning stove for stormy nights.
Party time There's a cupboard full of toys and games for children and the surrounding clifftops are just the spot for a bracing New Year's Day walk to burn off the excesses of the night before.
Tariff Sleeps nine; £2,474 for seven nights (0845 268 1560; cottages4you.co.uk)

WEST OF EDEN
What A modern take on the Mongolian yurt, this privately owned contemporary glass and wood dome sits atop a three-bedroom apartment on the edge of Roserrow Golf Course. The Dome House boasts stunning sea views, and is just ten minutes from the beach at Polzeath, Cornwall.
Who Golfers, bird watchers and foodies. The golf course is yards away, and the dome looks across to Newland Island, famous for cormorants and basking sharks. It is less than ten miles to Rick Stein's Seafood Restaurant in Padstow, Jamie Oliver's Fifteen in Watergate Bay and the Camel Valley Vineyard for wine tasting.
Interior The golden dome houses a sun-flooded sitting room. The rest of the house is accessed via a spiral staircase and has three bedrooms, all with views over the golf course. Tenants have full access to the spa, sauna and swimming pool and concessionary rates on golf.
Party time See in the new year stargazing through the in-house telescope from the comfort of the dome.
Tariff Sleeps six; £1,850 per week (01208 863 000; roserrow.co.uk)

MOATS AND ROCKERS
What Once a hunting lodge in the time of King John, this privately owned Grade
I-listed manor is 35 minutes from Central London, on the edge of the Surrey Hills, near Guildford. The six-bedroom Great Tangley Manor is accessed via a narrow bridge over the moat.
Who Rock stars including Brian May and Eric Clapton, historians, royalists and
film buffs.
Interior The Manor is cited in the Domesday Book and the red dining room's panelling allegedly hails from wrecked ships of the Spanish Armada. The windowpane boasts the signature of King George V's wife Queen Mary, etched with her diamond ring. The Alice Keppel bedroom with its twin beds and rocking chair featured in the 2006 film Miss Potter. There is a 16th-century dining room, a 19th-century library and a 20th-century drawing room. The King John bathroom boasts a kitsch red and gold fleurs-de-lys bath; what was a chapel in the time of Charles I is now a bar, and in the Arts and Crafts library a vast plasma TV emerges from behind the panelling.
Party time See in the new year with an indoor pool party and then brave a brisk game of tennis outside on New Year's Day. Manager Nicho Millard can arrange paintballing, clay-pigeon shooting or a murder mystery dinner on demand.
Tariff Sleeps 12; £5,085 a week (020 7526 4852; greattangleymanor.co.uk)

THE LORD OF THE MANOR
What A Grade I-listed Georgian pile, Trevor Hall in Wales was built in 1742 and sits in 165 acres of formal gardens, park and woodland.
Who Pop enthusiasts and animal lovers – dogs and horses are welcome.
Interior With gold pillars, rich wallpapers and vast stone fireplaces, this is a slightly bizarre combination of Regency elegance, furnishings from around the globe, and pop memorabilia. Owner Louise Parker's late husband Louis was an impresario for bands including Nirvana and Boyzone. Soak yourself in an all-white bathroom watched over by a Dalek, and dine in the medieval-style banqueting hall before retiring to your four-poster in one of the seven bedrooms.
Party time The Regency salon doubles as a cinema, and the marble music room comes with a grand piano for the talented.
Tariff Sleeps 14; from £3,500 for three nights (01638 674 756; statelyholidaycottages.com)

FOR MESSING ABOUT
What Zip around the Norfolk Broads in the luxurious 38ft sports cruiser Liberty from the Posh Boats Company. Five miles per hour is the limit on the Broads, but the speedboat will still stand out among the stalwart barges.
Who Anyone immune to the cold who can handle a boat in inclement weather.
Interior Simple nautical elegance. Liberty's bedrooms have teak furnishings, cherry wood doors and plenty of Ralph Lauren touches. Luxury comes in the form of LCD televisions in each cabin, complimentary fluffy slippers, Molton Brown products in the bathrooms and champagne on arrival. You'll be warm below deck, thanks to central heating and thick camel blankets on the beds.
Party time The spacious teak main cabin and cockpit are ideal for a New Year's Eve shindig, with in-built iPod speakers piping your top tunes throughout the boat.
Tariff Sleeps six; £2,000 per week(poshboats.co.uk)

FOR AULD LANG SYNE
What Built as a defensive tower during the tumultuous 15th-century Border Wars, Home Castle in the Scottish borders was transformed by the Adam brothers in 1750 into what is considered one of the most perfect castles in Scotland. The Home family hasn't moved from the spot in 600 years.
Who Big families. Children can hide away in the turret bedrooms while twinkle-toed parents dance in the new year under the ballroom's crystal chandeliers.
Interior From the dramatic stone entrance hall, twin staircases converge on the red-walled Grand Gallery. Equally impressive are the 14 vast bedrooms – several furnished with original Chippendale four-posters and all offering spectacular views across the Tweed Valley to Northumberland's Cheviot Hills.
Party time The dining room is so huge that the oak table was constructed in situ in 1897, and can't be moved; the room can seat up to 50 for a candlelit meal in front of a roaring fire. Host a clay pigeon shoot or pay some pipers to throw you a ceilidh.
Tariff Sleeps 28; from £15,525 for six nights(0845 389 9582: statelyescapes.co.uk)

GOING BEGGING
What There is a touch of Schadenfreude behind the naming of Mockbeggars Hall: waifs hoping for scraps in the 17th century soon realised that the house was empty of food, as it was only used as a weekend retreat. Revel in full-bellied smugness as lord of this National Trust Jacobean manor in Suffolk, with manicured gardens and views over the Gipping Valley.
Who Outdoor types who appreciate the wind-blown East Anglian countryside. The three-storey hall has extensive gardens and you can explore the valley's 17-mile river path. Art historians should visit Flatford Mill in Dedham Vale, the location of John Constable's Haywain.
Interior Studded wooden doors, open fireplaces
and velvet upholstery, all restored by the previous owners. The master bedroom boasts an impressive four-poster bed. The rustic kitchen and nine further bedrooms lack the Jacobean touch, but are cosy and comfortable.
Party time With its huge banqueting table, antique chairs and open fire, the dining room is ideal for a New Year's Eve feast. Then begin your January detox at the nearby Ufford Golf and Spa, where Mockbeggar tenants get a 50 per cent discount.
Tariff Sleeps 21; £4,680 per week (01728 454 899; prestigeholiday lettings.com)