A nicely priced inn on Shaftesbury's high street with a warm contemporary style and some excellent food – fine local walking waits

Lovely views from this converted farmhouse in peaceful Lot countryside, with terrace, sheltered pool and nine acres of grounds to explore

Fine linens, cool pool and a barbecue for this soothing barn renovation in a dreamy corner of Tuscany. Friendly owners can cook on request

Enjoy fields of lavender and vines as far as the eye can see from this neat cottage, sharing a pool and gorgeous gardens with other guests

An elegant hotel that feels like a well-kept secret, with charming staff, understated rooms and great restaurants a short walk away

A spacious and bright old sandstone farm building with private garden, all one one level and with lovely views over fields and countryside

Families and walkers will be happy at this unfussy seaside retreat with beaches down the road and coastal paths right by your door

Exposed beams and stone walls mix with modern art and minimalism to give a warm yet uncluttered luxury. Stylish yet relaxing

A lovely gîte, once a hunting lodge, with two private terraces overlooking the manicured gardens of an 1830s manor house

A big old house with a lovely pool, surrounded by ancient olives just 3kms from the sea and deep in the heart of Bandol wine country

Family cottage within 25 acres of fields, garden and orchard with fresh eggs to collect, wellies for walking and animals roaming the farm

A traditional, grand 1850 townhouse sitting in a large, landscaped garden with mature trees, a short walk to the village centre and square

This architect-designed passive style house sits just behind the sand dunes at Waxham beach, one of Norfolk’s most lovely beaches

A cosy and pretty old cottage for rest or romance, with garden and pool in a small hamlet surrounded by walnut orchards and mixed woodland

One of Scotland’s coolest hotels waits at the end of a four-mile track - you find loch, mountain and sky, and Tom’s fabulous food

Ease into a slower way of life from this beautiful Tuscan farmhouse surrounded by vineyards in the valley below medieval Montepulciano

Wonderful views of the Cantabrian Sea, locally sourced food and fine bedrooms at a boutique hotel on the Asturian coast

Charming gardens for you and your dog in a barn conversion in rural Norfolk half an hour from coast