A stunning château with huge rooms, pretty balconies with views, peaceful garden. Super owners, excellent dinners - and child-friendly too

Such a special place, right on the historic Georgian quay – a cosy, friendly place with dogs, children and families welcome in all parts

Climb Snowdon - or take the train. Swim, cycle, visit Nat Trust houses. A deliciously quirky retreat for 2 (and babe-in-arms) near Anglesey

Traditional house with a contemporary and imaginative interior; stroll to shops and restaurants, jump in the car to explore Provence

Escape to your own barn. Brimming with beams and natural colours - surrounded by peaceful lavender-filled gardens and corn fields

Explore Le Marche, Italy's hidden gem, from this tranquil agriturismo tucked among olive groves and fields above the Adriatic coast

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

Your own wing of a Grade II-listed hall and estate next to a nature reserve, with lovely walks and good restaurants on your doorstep

Cosy 17th-century cottage in a village inland from Wells-next-the-Sea and with easy access to north Norfolk's main attractions

Nature lovers will be tempted to this gem of a village cottage in the Duddon Valley – a truly peaceful slice of the Lakes

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

A bright and beautiful six-bedroom house with lovely mature gardens in the glorious Lake District: bring your entire tribe plus the dog

A charming hotel in a quiet neighbourhood in medieval Bologna, just the ticket for a city escape filled with food, history and culture

A very grand façade for this handsome Charente village house with a beautiful, peaceful garden, creamy stone walls and olive trees

A red-brick cottage and Shepherd’s hut in a magical garden with a cookery school and views over the South Downs

A deeply thoughtful conversion of an old Presbyterian church with wonderful watery views, much wildlife and plenty of space for joyful times

Laze in the pool, nibble olives from the market, gaze over Provence. Inside, English meets classic French. Fabulous for families

A fortified castle in parkland, built mostly in the 1300s on the Montbazens plateau, near to the stunning Averyon gorges