Home: Great West Rd, London W6

Despite its purpose as a pumping station, this was built like a palace in the urban village of Chiswick, west London, and over a century on, you have to pay a royal price for a berth here. Not that there’s anything palatial about the accommodation. For £675,000 you get a two-bedroom duplex on the fourth and fifth floors, but the service charges include security gates and a porter to keep commoners at bay. The views over the Thames from the wraparound balcony are positively aristocratic. Savills, 020 8987 5550

Home: Cowes, Isle of Wight

You might have to live in the car for a bit while you pay off the mortgage through holiday lets, but when that’s done you have front row seats of the sailing on the Solent from the balconies and terrace. Well, almost front row. A line of new homes got the best pitch on the shore and you have to peer over their roofs for the action. There is underfloor heating in the five bedrooms and reception rooms, but only the living area and master suite get the air conditioning. Guide price: £599,950. Onthemarket.com, 01983 507952

Away: Lisbon, Portugal

This 16th-century palace perched on a hilltop in the city was once owned by royal courtiers and has been segmented into 21 flats. Renaissance luxury has being adapted for modern pampering, so amid the ornate high ceilings and tall windows will be air conditioning, en suites, secure parking and, for the richer residents, a private swimming pool. Some of the terraces overlook the river and the multi-coloured old town cascading down the hillside. Other flats are less favoured with a square of lawn between high walls. Prices start at £616,000.Athena Advisers, 020 74714 500

Away: Alicante, Spain

Ditch the studio flat in Hounslow and, for the same price, sit out Brexit in a three-bedroom villa on the Costa Blanca. Porcelain floor tiles and air conditioning should do battle with the Spanish heat. But if that battle is lost you can tip into the pool in the communal palm-fringed gardens. Each house in this gated, yet-to-be development has an underground parking slot and a garden or rooftop solarium. Cost: £191,144. Sequre International, 0800 011 2639

Away: VIP Island, Florida

The island lives up to its name, being accessible only by private boat. From your private jetty you can fish in the Indian River and watch the sunset up on the balcony. It’s a chalet ambience inside, with wooden steeply pitched walls. Tall occupants of the two bedrooms may endure a painful levee given the restricted head height. Asking price: £260,000. Dale Sorensen Real Estate, +1 321 987 3328