A stylish and luxurious modern cabin is the perfect place to stay if you want to explore this ancient town and surrounding area.

The little town of Rye is every historical drama director’s dream. I’m sure every house could tell a story, with properties ranging from medieval cottages with leaded light windows and overhanging first floors strung along cobbled lanes, to grander Georgian terraces; the perfect backdrops for the next series of Bridgerton. Former residents are a who’s who of British literary figures and include Joseph Conrad, HG Wells and Henry James, and all of this character and charm attracts over 1 million visitors each year. So it’s nice to escape the hustle and bustle and stay in the smart, black Chandlers Cabin, which has been built along with one other rental property, The Studio, in the grounds of the owner’s home on a lane that leads out of town. There’s plenty of parking here – unlike in the centre of town, only a 10-minute walk away – and a tranquil view over the Royal Military Canal and the meadows beyond.

Sitting on the decking area, made from hipster scaffolding boards and weather beaten to a fashionable grungy grey, with a blackbird singing its heart out on a nearby post, is a little slice of heaven. It’s a perfect spot for a sunny-morning breakfast, a lazy afternoon cuppa or your pre-dinner drinks. Inside, the clever design combines a large bed, table and chairs, a sofa area and little kitchenette with a separate bathroom. The chic, contemporary decor blends untreated scaffolding boards, corrugated iron, decorative tiles and egg-yolk yellow home furnishings and is both refreshing and inspiring.

There are plenty of pubs in Rye, each jostling for position as Ye Oldest in Towne. Most famous of all is The Mermaid Inn, where you can imagine highwayman Dick Turpin sipping his pint, but our favourite was two minutes from the cabin. The Globe Inn Marsh is a quirky, eclectic interior design dream with alcoves, low beams and friendly bar staff aplenty. And because it’s slightly out of town, it’s full of locals rather than tourists. For dinner, The Union restaurant (theunionrye.co.uk), a former 15th- century inn, is now a smart, casual restaurant serving excellent food using the best British ingredients. On a balmy summer’s evening, we kicked off with a pisco sour cocktail before dining on excellent seafood and fish.

There were Maldon oysters topped with tomato, trout roe and bronze fennel, marinated anchovies with huge caperberries, followed by a large skate wing accompanied by samphire in a buttery sauce and a bowl of plump, tender mussels in a sobrasada broth. Excellent sourdough toast, roasted new potatoes and a platter of spring greens loaded with garlic and sesame meant that, sadly, we couldn’t squeeze in dessert. The town is full of delicatessens, smart boutiques, luxury ice-cream parlours and coffee shops. There are art galleries galore, although I preferred rummaging in the antique and vintage bric-a-brac emporiums around The Deals at the other end of the high street. Alternatively, you can stroll right out of town towards the wide open spaces of Camber Sands (a parking permit is also included in your cottage stay), or head towards the Rye Harbour Nature Reserve for a bit of peace and quiet amongst the skeletons of old fishing boats and the squawks of wading birds. Here, history has also made its mark, with the sea receding over the centuries, leaving a wistful- looking environment with a languid watercolour beauty that contrasts with the town’s more human-focused memories, and it is all the more beautiful for that.