Captains House

Welcome to the Hamptons, Essex

Osea is the Caribbean-colonial island that’s just an hour from London. It’s the Hamptons, it’s Nantucket, it’s Necker Island. Except it’s not. It’s Essex with a twist. At the Captain’s House, you’re right on the water’s edge. Slosh around in the heated pool. Sleep in four-posters, bathe in rolltops, observe life as it slides slowly past.

Same time zone, different world

Escape to your own Caribbean-colonial island, just an hour from London, in the same time zone, but part of a different world. Osea is Essex’s answer to the Hamptons, a Viking burial ground, a World War I torpedo base, and a rehab retreat to the A-list. Welcome to your new world of Nantucket picket, four-posters and rolltops.

Briefly cut off by the tide, you’ll spend your seclusion in The Captain’s House, sleeping 22. Squint only slightly and you could be in Maine or on Necker with Sir Richard. Slosh around in the heated outdoor pool. Take the private stairs down to the beach. Light the woodfires. Drink a red on the terrace.

Cook up local Maldon oysters, samphire and seaweed on the range cooker, or be cooked for while you loll around with a gin and a grin. Book on-site yoga, spa pampering or sailing. Embrace the island life. Watch the waves wash the beach, let life slide by at a far slower pace, try to imagine you’re actually in Essex.