What's on TV: satisfy your inner voyeur with Homes by the Sea

As the days flash by, it's all too easy to take things for granted. Sometimes we need an impromptu sickie or a lazy, booze-soaked brunch with friends to remind ourselves just how lucky we are to live in Hong Kong.

Only last Sunday, I was sat on my rooftop terrace supping a morning brew and perusing the wonderful Post Magazine. As I gazed out over Sai Kung, watching the junks and sampans chug slowly into life across the bay, I realised that a) I'll never be the next Bill Bryson, and b) if you ignore the hordes of urbanites and neon-capped coach parties that descend upon this (usually) sleepy town each weekend, its million-dollar views rival those of anywhere else in the world.

Living by the coast is a lifestyle choice many people aspire to, hence Charlie Luxton's Homes by the Sea (Nat Geo People, Tuesday at 8.25pm). Presented by the affable architectural designer, this show is pretty much Grand Designs by the sea without the boring building bit. It cuts straight to the chase, taking us for a nose around some magnificent properties. Four are featured in each episode and this week, the journey begins on the rugged coast of southwest Wales, in the houses of two sets of inhabitants with Hong Kong connections: a couple who have swapped the frenetic life in our fair city for a more sedate pace and the chance to build their dream seafront home; and Bob Marshall-Andrews, who was once criticised for taking on work as a lawyer in Hong Kong while still a sitting MP in Britain.

The series sees Luxton taking a peek at renovated Victorian cottages, converted lighthouses and new, futuristic buildings, as he finds inspiration in these stunning locations to design fantasy homes of his own. However, if the presenter's enthusiasm for coastal properties gets you thinking of moving out to Sai Kung, then take no notice of him. Honestly … the town's space and fresh air are really not all they're cracked up to be.

If you don't have quite as much cash to burn on a Peak home as a certain Danish neighbour, then maybe a simple log cabin would be more "you".

Cabin Fever (above), which begins tomorrow night (11pm on the National Geographic Channel), follows a team of builders as they journey across North America, turning clients' fantasies into reality. Whether in a forested mountain range or a suburban backyard, unusual living spaces are created to match their owners' wildest imaginations - although, to be honest, they all appear to be variations on your typical wooden house.