Leave the car, everything is walkable & buses are practically free. Visit restaurants, vineyards & markets from your lofty village bolthole

A sweet retreat for a nature-loving couple, with soul-searching views and the smell of the sea. Logs and Breton cider are on the house...

Above the Breton sands, amongst cypresses and roses, 2 neighbouring lower-floor gîtes. The gardens and the sea views are the stars here

Pretty, shuttered stone farmhouse and barn sitting in a big safe garden. Families and groups of friends will love it here

Come for warm friendly Dutch hosts, top-notch apartments, and a lavender-fringed pool with a great view. Oh, and rose champagne on arrival

Designed with style and comfort, peaceful, sophisticated and serene with countryside views. And you have your own lovely pool

In the depths of unsung rural France, here are two pretty little stone cottages done in fine style with brand new fittings - and lots to do

Drift to sleep listening to the sea, wake to gorgeous bustling markets, picnics on the beach and walks along the sweep of the bay

Pretty, cosy, romantic and rambled by roses: Normandy stone cottage, near the coast for fresh fish, bike tracks, Lessay abbey. Blissful

Seductive gîte, with wood-burner, terrace and delightful interiors. Enjoy Madame's table d'hôtes after a day trip to Toulouse or Albi

Explore the Dordogne's renowned châteaux and villages; return to tranquil, stylish gîtes to soak up the breathtaking natural landscape

Charming, simple, inviting - a love nest for 2 in a small hilltop Vézénobres. Gaze over Languedoc vistas, splash in the shared pool

Come for the stunning copper bath and its views, stay for Tina's food, borrow bikes, head off to Saumur. Romantic Loire bliss

A pretty little gîte, comfortable and cosy with doors straight out to lawns and terraces, and 7 acres to explore and a pool to splash in

Blissful rural isolation in a sweet, turreted gate house; find strong, simple tones and good old pieces, like the carved Henri IV sideboard

Take one, two or all three attractive family-friendly houses, visit bastides, go biking and wine tasting, stay in by the woodburning stove

Watch hang-gliders circle from your fabulous rooftop hang-out, stroll to supper, head for stylish bed and plan your next Provencal sortie

A gentle, calm, immaculate place for an all-season family stay, near wine tastings, castles, caves and canoeing. Everyone loves the Dordogne