Sumptuous rooms with Renaissance-inspired art, infinity pool and gardens, just a short drive to Mantua’s historic city centre

Come for a huge dollop of peace and quiet in gorgeous countryside. Take long walks, enjoy the views, return to much comfort and space

Rustic, quirky and layered with history, this is an exquisite slice of traditional Sicilian life, with welcoming and generous hosts

An elegantly renovated coaching inn with inspired design, beautifully simple pub food, tempting ales and gloriously comfortable bedrooms

Rooms are good value, breakfast is taken overlooking the garden and there's superb veggie food next door - a Sawday's Community Champion

Your friendly hosts offer you stylish bedrooms, swims in the heated pool, and wonderful dinners and wines. Cahors is only a 10-minute drive

A cosy bolthole near Paris's best museums, monuments and churches. A peaceful sleep and simple buffet breakfast set you up for sightseeing

Stone farmhouse on a country estate, family-run for centuries. Views of the towered gatehouse, pool and tennis court, a walk to the river...

Rustic farmhouse with two and a half acres of landscaped gardens, a swimming pool and views over the Pyrenees – the sunrises are amazing

Charmingly rambling, inside and out: blazing fires, riotous patterns, oak panelling, a prolific garden and comfortable antique beds

An elegant, historical building in the heart of Catania - an intimate hotel, yet grand with gorgeous architecture and a wonderful welcome

Come for sea air, independent shops, great places to eat and this quirky cottage with plenty of room and a sunny walled garden

A splendid supper à la carte (three courses) is included here, together with airy rooms and sweeping gardens. The Solway Firth is close

An old farm worker's cottage, niftily done up and nicely remote, with walking and fishing on the doorstep, four miles from Hadrian's Wall

You'll feel relaxed in this big light-filled house with plunge pool and outdoor cinema; walk along the river with Portugal on the other side

Family-run B&B in traditional trulli with hands-on hosts. Swim in the pool, explore the countryside, the coast is half an hour’s drive away

Throw open French windows to this sleek self-catering space, with off-street parking. Walk to the beach & the pub, visit historic Chichester

A 18th-century house with pool in a small town with friendly owners and a tropical garden of banana, fig and, of course, frangipani