Alastair Sawday's

The first of the Special Places series, this established guide is a bestseller. With its huge variety and range of good value places to stay, it's an indispensable guide for those travelling round France – it is as much about making good friends as staying in really beautiful homes. Fresh, informative write-ups are backed up by excellent maps, concise directions and full-colour photos for each property.

Quick reference indices will make it easy to find places that are good for fishing, horse riding, language courses or wine tasting with clear symbols to indicate if English is spoken and if children are welcome. New to this edition is our 'Ethical Collection'; made up of owners who go the extra mile to make sure their business has a positive impact. Members of the Collection are awarded stamps, marked on their entry page, for their commitment to the community, the environment or to providing local, organic fine food - helping you find a place that's just right for you.

It is easy to be beguiled into inspecting places that look good but feel, upon inspection, less so. Separating the marvellous from the merely good is a daunting task. We have to be fully attuned to the nuances, the subtleties of human behaviour. We have, in short, to stick to our guns and only select the places that we feel really are special. We have to weed out the houses that are fraying at the edges just that bit too much, the owners who think of themselves first and foremost as businesspeople rather than B&B owners.