A new home for Sawday's Special Self-Catering Places in England, Scotland, Wales, Northern Ireland, Eire, France, Italy, Spain and Portugal

Modern and old-fashioned marry seductively: polished floors, rattan recliner, steel kitchen. The pool is flower furnished, Spain is close

Farmhouse? Manor house, rather, and prosperous in its luxuriant bee-humming garden where even the pool is graciously flowered, furnished and solar-heated. Bedrooms are huge yet cosy, their elegance neither fussy nor overdone – designer touches and country antiques mingle delightfully; their cool sheets feel soft, their polished floors glow in the garden light. And such huge bathrooms, the loveliest marriage of modern and old-fashioned: turn-of-the-century double basins and tubs, a grey-painted armoire, a rattan recliner, vintage taps (with lashings of hot water), cherubs and candles – one could loll happily for days in each. But the super-modern stainless steel kitchen beckons, full of gadgets and charm. Add two sitting rooms, videos, kids' stuff... There are many surprises, all of them good. You can picnic on the lawns or invite your guests to join you at the convivial trestle table in the open-sided barn. It's peaceful, and beautiful. Spain and Toulouse are an hour away, skiing closer, local restaurants offer four-course lunches for €10, dinner is a half-hour drive.