Retirement homes

Lord Profumo relished his sojourns at Cliveden; the pool where he acquainted himself with Mandy Rice Davies is sadly out of bounds, but it's a thrill to have a corner of the grounds of this National Trust-owned Buckinghamshire stately home. Apartments and houses for the over 55s are in a wooded corner where residents can roam during opening hours. The fittings are sleek and eco friendly, and the main rooms open on to a private terrace. A concierge looks after practical tedium. Two-bedroom flats cost £250,000.
Cliveden Village, 01628 668835 Photograph: Cliveden Village/Cliveden Village

Retirement years will be a limitless holiday in St George's Park Village, built for the over 60s in the grounds of a monastery near the Sussex town of Haywards Heath. About 250 acres of parkland extend from your door, including a fishing lake and tennis courts, and residents share a library, treatment rooms, restaurants, shops, a leisure centre and concert hall. All flats have two bedrooms and start at £340,000.
St George's Park, 01444 259732 Photograph: St George's Park/St George's Park

You can absorb the glories of the Salcombe estuary from the grounds of this three-bed, ground-floor flat – it's spread out below you from your private terrace and beyond the windows of the open-plan living room. From this new-build flat it is a level walk into the Devon resort of Kingsbridge and an unchallenging hike to sandy beaches. Cliff walks and moorings are slightly further. Yours for £295,000.
Marchand Petit, 01548 857588 Photograph: Marchand Petit/Marchand Petit

Surrender your exhausting old manor for smaller scale highlife in this former monastery school. Its Tudor Gothic splendours rise out of acres of gardens and park near Newbury in Berkshire. Your £550,000 portion is three bedrooms, two bath/shower rooms, a kitchen/diner and reception room, all reached through stately home-style communal halls. The concierge will smooth life's path, sorting out handymen, pet-feeding and dry-cleaning for a fee.
Jackson-Stops & Staff, 01636 45501 Photograph: Jackson-Stops & Staff

This two-bed retirement flat is close to the lofty green pleasures of London's Crystal Palace. The residents share a live-in scheme manager, lounge and large, lawned communal gardens set around the original Victorian villa. Shops and trains to the rest of the capital are a few minutes walk away. The living room opens on to a secluded patio. Cost: £145,000.
Wooster & Stock, 020 8613 0060 Photograph: Wooster & Stock/Wooster & Stock