For retreats, groups of friends, and big families: come to recharge the senses at this special and ancient house enveloped by wild gardens

The holiday starts on the bumpy track along to this Arts & Crafts style modern house with plenty of space and a wrap-around garden

Contemporary boathouse for all the family. Find rock pools, a shingle beach and plenty of ozone in the salty Cornish air

A treat in any season, a place to stir your soul, yield to nature and learn how to play again - with a pretty fine roost to come home to

Two rural retreats up a shared drive for gatherings of friends and family who enjoy the great outdoors and good food from the Meikleour Inn

Comfortable redbrick cottage with views on the Heydon Hall estate. It’s delightfully rural, yet close to Reepham for pubs and shops

A cosy nest on the ramparts of an ancient fishing port, with sparkling lagoon views from a top-floor living area

A lovely old house and rambling garden in a medieval village with a monumental château, 12th-century church and a good local restaurant

A new-build in local stone with vast windows gazing out at the meeting place of three beautiful lochs, surrounded by 12 acres of croft land

Come for a big gathering of friends or family and take the whole house plus an extra cottage in the pretty gardens – swim in the pool, relax

Welcome to an immaculate house on the Isle of Skye. Relax in the sauna, relish the hamper, linger over the barbecue with a fabulous view

In her smart top-floor flat, perfectly situated between Montmartre and the Opéra Garnier, Rosemary does brilliant B&B

Come for a traffic-free medieval hamlet in sleepy Maremma with easy-going hosts, a beautiful garden and views over the valley

Wonky floors and handmade beds in a restored coaching inn for 4, 6 or 8 - sociable evenings round the farmhouse table, walks from the door

A sustainably run 1902 farmhouse and a cottage in countryside close to a wonderfully wild stretch of the North Devon coast

A small, family-run boutique hotel sitting right at the foot of Etna with wonderful views, garden, pool and ambrosial Sicilian breakfasts

A niftily restored, open-plan, beamed hayloft, just the ticket for romantics, with gorgeous views of fields and open countryside

A stylish, cosy, stone-flagged cottage with vintage and modern furniture, wood-burners, patios and views - and three excellent pubs nearby