My family has a cabin up in northern Michigan that's about 2 hours away and i love going there. I think its so much nicer to get way from home for awhile.
I would much rather have a cottage, that is a 5 minute walk to the ocean common lets think about this pool in back yard is nice but pool = very little water
Ocean = a whole lot more water
Plus its great to have a place out of town that you can go unwind and forget all the hustle and bustle of everyday life
Cottage. Pools are a lot of work and don't get used nearly as much as you think they will. Just ask my parents with their 33K in-ground that we never come over and swim in. lol