Breakfasts with sausages from home-reared rare breed pigs, a big log fire and relaxed friendly hosts. Acres of garden and woodland paths

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

Great taste – in decor and food – and a delicious heated pool. Views swoop over field and valley; trails, villages, wineries tempt

A perfect spot with views of hills, forest and vines, below the beautiful village of Castelnau de Montmiral. Walks, wildlife, wine tours...

A sweet bolthole around a courtyard on a smallholding, extremely comfortable, bright and spacious inside and with a communal garden

Leave crowds behind for this charming stone farmhouse in the olive groves of rural Umbria – bring friends and have it all to yourselves

Ideal for families: pool, tennis and golf at the hotel with beach and yachting nearby. Comfortable bedrooms and a terrace for outdoor dining

A grand old chartreuse, dating from 1649, with terrace, garden and pool surrounded by tranquil countryside and near a pretty village

A wall of glass frames the sea view - take drinks on the waterfront lawn in summer, or by the crackling fire in winter

A charming inn on the village green with beautiful interiors - you’ll find low ceilings, pretty rooms and a fire that burns on cold days.

An idyllic hotel-restaurant in a postcard-pretty medieval village. Warm interiors, a varied menu of local produce, masses to see and do...

A converted 18th-century chapel in the heart of Bruton with an all-day restaurant, in-house bakery, wine store and south-facing terrace

A stroll from the village, this comfy house in its terraced garden comes with a keen-cook's kitchen, a generous terrace and pool

Ski in winter, walk and cycle in summer - return to unbeatable hospitality, warm, large and comfortable bedrooms with views, robust food

A 1750s farmhouse with a comfortable, informal feel resting in woodland. You're near to iconic tourist spots but hiding in the quiet woods

A wonderfully maintained Grade II listed country house in the Brecon Beacons with extensive gardens and panoramic views of the Usk Valley

A beautiful little house in a corner of the garden: walk for miles or just to the local pub, barbecue on the deck with its rural views

Outside a perfect bastide village, an elegant manoir for lazy days in the Dordogne, fabulous dinners and glorious gardens