Ireland

Anglo-Irish meets Italian and Indian; the owners have peppered this charming home with furniture and artefacts from their broad travels

If you really love good food, long walks in the freshest air, a good book by a warm fire and plentiful peace, this is for you

The cottage looks down over Lough Swilly, idyllic for boats and safe swims... and the neighbours are friendly, just sheep and cows

Music evenings, pop-up theatre nights and great food at the Sash brasserie. You’re just a stroll from shops and bars

Hosts who were made for B&B, these smiling ex-farmers welcome the world to their snug sitting room and simple rooms with immense warmth

Countryside and seaside all in one go – what could be more inspiring? Lovely Louisa lives down the road, on hand if you need her

A stunner of a setting for this restored croft house with long views to a sparkling loch and a lively village nearby. Good beaches too

All the bleached beauty of the beach inside this comfortable cottage; a dining terrace with uplifting sea views and arching views of Kerry

Peaceful converted barn on a remote working farm – pet the donkeys, wild swim and row on the lake, warm up around the wood-burner

A grand spot for this sweet thatched cottage sitting at the foot of moody Coolcross Hill with wrap-around views over the ocean and bay

Stay in an apartment in a 1700s Queen Anne style country house or a self-contained loft circled by 25 acres of grounds, near Wicklow mountains

Books, meadow flowers, a rocking chair by a cosy fire at this treasure-trove cottage of beautiful things - down tiny lanes in west Cork

Fall asleep to the sound of the sea in your dreamy thatched cottage, one of 6, right on the beach for those head-clearing walks...

Stay in the wilds of south Cork, where new life is being breathed into a much-loved family home and you can simply join in

Choose the quirky, atmospheric family house or the new annexe: Paul will make you feel genuinely welcome, and provide delicious dinners

Fresh, simple country charm - pretty rooms with enchanting river views, freshly baked bread for breakfast... Beautiful, fragrant gardens

Return to warming fires after hiking in Ireland's highest mountains. Two traditional cottages on the outskirts of pretty Killorglin