Immaculate Cotswold beauty with great food, welcoming staff, handsome rooms and a sun-trap terrace, plus countryside walks from the door

An enviable hideaway on a cobbled street high on a hill, with stunning views next to Galileo's house, the Villa Bardini and gardens

Light-filled gites share a lovely pool, with pétanque, ping-pong and bikes to borrow – bring friends and take all three

You're overlooking the main square in medieval Umbertide from this cosy, second-floor apartment, so you'll feel very much like a local

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

Elegant restored farmhouse in the Valdera with a romantic annexe for two, magnificent views, and a landscaped garden with a swimming pool

A quiet retreat with blissful gardens, a pool and charming hosts. You’re close to bastide towns, castles and the Canal du Midi

An 18th-century converted barn with lofty beamed ceilings, exposed stonework, handmade oak windows and much art – pretty garden too

Stylish barn in the Slaughters – footpaths from the door, idyllic Cotswolds villages to explore. Head home for garden drinks and barbecues

Art-inspired B&B in a former silkworm factory. Swim in the eco-pool, feast on delicious food, explore Avignon, Arles and Roman ruins

A romantic creekside cottage down a web of narrow lanes in a tumbling green valley – mess about on the water to your heart’s content

25 sleek cabins by a shimmering lake, a clubhouse with rooms, restaurants, gym, pool and activities galore around these 1000 acres of wild nature

Big house with bags of character and easy access to beaches, cafés and cobbled streets, coastal paths and hidden coves

A sleek, minimalist Scandi pad for two, one of five properties created out of ancient buildings on a 3,000 acre working hill sheep farm

Come for the gloriously peaceful countryside and this 1700s house and garden, scrupulously renovated and with plenty of space

A botanical beauty deep in the Loire Valley, this elegant house has history and heart in abundance

Family-friendly lakes retreat steeped in local history. Acres of wild country to get lost in and a splendid bar to help find yourself again

A lovely old stone house, set in a walled garden and overlooking the swimming pool on an ancient estate with gardens open to the public