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Filey this resort under 'a great place to stay'

You could easily mistake The Bay Filey holiday village for just another modern housing estate and drive straight past. In fact, that's exactly what I did.

It was only on second glance that I noticed the giveaway sign with The Bays' yacht logo by the entrance ... oh, and the large blue beach house on the front lawn - now, how on earth did I miss that?

Situated about three miles south of Filey, on the main A165 Scarborough/Bridlington road, The Bay is a coast-side development of some 900 brick-built holiday homes in varying styles, offering accommodation from single bedroom apartments, to four bedroom cottages sleeping a family of eight.

It's ideal for a weekend getaway or longer holiday, or, if you are looking for an investment, the properties are available as buy-to-rent, and the on-site management team will handle the booking, cleaning and maintenance work. The Bay is a "work-in-progress", and, in some areas, still resembles a building site.

Cement mixers and the banter of the labourers do rather disturb the otherwise tranquil setting.

The peace was further shattered by our noisy neighbours, a family of cute, but very vocal, ducks, who decided that our patio and lawn were far more appealing than the huge nearby fishing lake.

Our home for the weekend was The Buccaneer, a terraced cottage, tucked away in a quiet cul de sac, comprising a kitchen/dining area, lounge, downstairs loo, with two double bedrooms and bathroom upstairs.

Rooms were airy, spacious and tastefully decorated, giving a comfortable, relaxed and homely feel.

The colour scheme of blonde wood and pale turquoise furnishings, reminiscent of sea and sand, brought the outside in, and the seaside theme was continued in the various objets d'art scattered throughout the rooms.

The fully-equipped kitchen included a fridge, dishwasher, washing-machine and microwave, and surfaces were low maintenance and well designed. If anything it was the bedrooms where the design fell short.

Although there were some small bedside cabinets and fitted wardrobes, there was no dressing-table, or mirror of any kind in either bedroom (I'm not vain – it's just a girl thing!), which was quite odd, considering there was an abundance of them downstairs.

The grounds of The Bay present opportunities for walking its park and woodlands.

There's a fishing lake, and plenty of activities aimed at keeping the whole family entertained, also an indoor swimming pool and leisure centre, complete with gym and sauna facilities.

A small precinct area houses a coffee shop, convenience store, pharmacy, and The John Paul Jones pub, which offers an extensive menu, where children can dine for one price of £4.85, and, for adults, the most expensive main is a 10oz Sirloin steak (£16.95). It's good, tasty pub grub, served by friendly staff, and not too expensive if you want a break from self-catering.

The appeal of The Bay is its coastal setting, but be warned, it is quite a trek to gain private access to the beach proper.

It is possible to drive part of the way, but once on the beach, it's just sea and sand for as far as the eye can see, so you really need to plan ahead.

If you wish to venture further afield, there's loads to explore.

A half-hour walk along the beach takes you to the quiet and charming Victorian seaside town of Filey, whilst the more lively resorts of Bridlington and Scarborough are a 10-minute drive away.

A little further up the coast is Whitby, and going inland there are the picturesque towns of Malton and Pickering or York, Leeds and Hull are all within an hour's drive.

With the tourist attractions of Castle Howard, Eden Camp, Bempton Cliffs RSPB Nature Reserve, Flamborough Head, and the North Yorkshire Moors Railway, within reachable distance, there is always something of interest to do.

Rumour has it that the locals call The Bay Filey 'Toytown', and with it's cute little houses and ordered layout, it does have that feel.

But, the reality is, this award-winning holiday village is a home-from-home that all the family can enjoy.

A stay in a Buccaneer-style cottage costs from £165 for a short break, and from £325 for a week, depending on dates taken.

Other accommodation prices range from £115 for a one bedroom apartment, to £1595 for a week's peak rate stay in the Dartmouth VIP four bedroom cottage with jacuzzi.

Various discount rates are offered, but there is an additional cost for pets.