A grand piano to play and a delicious bed to sink into, at this cool, arty bolthole near Frome. For those who love spaciousness and peace

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

Walk, ride, bike or canoe, climb a mountain, head for Hay, then return to a comfortable bar, warm bedrooms and delicious food

Artists, poets, nature lovers, walkers and dreamers will be happy in this simple, airy suite surrounded by a fecund garden and much peace

An ancient thatched cottage near Dartmoor with a warming log fire in winter and flowers inside and out in the summer

A hilltop setting for this ancient fortress with an illustrious past. You stay in apartments or farmhouses inside or outside the walls

An elegant townhouse made up of two apartments on a lively piazza a short stroll from the sea. Live like a local in pretty Monopoli

Stay in a lovely 18th-century townhouse in one of the prettiest villages on the Loire surrounded by unspoilt countryside

A welcoming retreat with lofty rooms, a sunny garden and the perfect plunge pool. Come for slow days and wine country adventures

A gentle, calm, immaculate place for an all-season family stay, near wine tastings, castles, caves and canoeing. Everyone loves the Dordogne

Secluded place with home-grown food, much peace and walks by the river for a couple (or small family). Courses and solo retreats too

All the luxuries that make a B&B very special - wonderful food, smart rooms and a garden replete with pool, orchard, tennis and lake

An ancient inn, spruce and restorative, in a picture-perfect village with open fires, tasty food and stylish, comfortable bedrooms

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

An old chapel, smartly and sustainably converted, with a hot tub to soothe tired limbs after country walks through fells and dales

Near vibrant market towns, this lovely cottage on a rural estate with views of Pen y Fan is a delicious escape from the hurly burly

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

Loved by estate-workers, visitors, well-heeled locals, and walkers, this spruced-up pub is a friendly launchpad for Chatsworth