A beautifully renovated lighthouse with stunning views from the lantern room. Pretty bedrooms, great walking and fabulous breakfasts

Sublime views across the Tuscan countryside, seasonal food and the kindest host. Children are welcome, oenophiles will be in heaven

A peaceful, very stylish bolthole for 2 on the doorstep of glorious Holyrood Park, with Edinburgh’s sights a stroll away

Traditional B&B in a beautiful château bursting with history and surrounded by formal gardens, then farmland and two fine rivers

Step through a door in an old wooden gate to discover a courtyard garden on the edge of town close to golden sands

Immaculate bedrooms, a rustic bar... but there’s more to this place than cool design. The service is superb and the food is lovely

A scented garden, delicious local delicacies and those coastal landscapes. This place is a sensory feast

An exquisitely restored 500-year-old inn, where the accent is very much on food, reared and grown nearby and with very comfortable rooms

Off-the-beaten track cottage promises peace and quiet, wild swimming and hikes in the hills. A world away from the urban jungle

Once a lofty edifice for music recitals, now an original place to stay - with stained-glass windows, a bed on a stage and wild gardens

An authentic, charming and spacious home with garden, pool and lake, deep in the Dordogne valley and decorated with uncluttered elegance

Live like a local. Art lovers, book lovers and walkers will be happy here above an art gallery in the centre of town

Between Paris and Rouen, a handsome country house in Monet scenery. Cows graze, bedrooms soothe, friendships bud over bountiful breakfasts

A cosy, courteous, family-run hotel with ‘chocolatines’ and cherry jams at breakfast, Basque dishes at dinner, and gorgeous rolling views

Fragrant gardens full of fruit trees, a lovingly renovated house just a few minutes’ walk from the village, and excellent breakfasts

5 houses near Siena to make design-lovers happy; come for the rural solitude of ancient stone farm buildings with urban interiors

An unbeatable position on Rutland Water, a Michelin star in the restaurant, a roaring fire in the bar and a swimming pool in the garden