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

13th-century château with a swish modern apartment tucked within - heavenly, romantic: roll top, king-size bed and every attention to detail

Up a stone staircase, through a small door and into an unexpected world of grand windows, oak-panelled doors and elegant rooms. Lesley and David, who have wisely chosen to settle in France, are the friendly lord and lady of this 13th-century château in deep countryside, with views stretching over the Suisse Normande. Your apartment, a private and discreet three-room suite, is light, spacious and gracious – from the parquet corridor with floor-to-ceiling windows to the oak-panelled doors and the richly coloured curtains falling in folds to the floor. If you think the bedroom is swish – king-size bed, stacks of cushions – just wait until you see the bathroom; gleaming white with brushed chrome, its roll top bath has space enough to perch a G&T. The living area, a soft, roomy space of sofas, hi-tech lights and natural linen with a dining table by the window to feed your daydreams, has a futuristic corner kitchen, a showpiece of stainless steel and gadgets. Flowers, welcome groceries, binoculars for birds, hosts who love to spoil... Sawday grand cru.