Gaze on Umbrian hills as the children play, watch the fireflies dance at night. Dine fabulously in Gubbio - or here. Sociable-family bliss

Friendly inn in the middle of Sedbergh. Lots of bedrooms to choose from, suntrap picnic area, walks in the Yorkshire Dales on the doorstep

What a surprise! Tucked into a row of tightly woven old cottages is this contemporary open-plan hideaway with huge windows and much flair

Two charming cottages a stroll from the Coast Path, surf school, shop, pub and restaurant. Take both cottages for a big family get-together

Enjoy a bucolic setting (hike, ride, cycle) near medieval Vannes, a short hop from the sea – and lively conversation with friendly hosts

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

Come for a village feel, rural peace and boundless Portuguese countryside at this charming whitewashed home with a super terrace with views

Glamour, warmth and style in a renovated wine warehouse in a cool quarter of Bordeaux - France’s most popular city after Paris

Heart-soaring Pyrenean views, animals roaming, natural materials in simple rural rooms, organic food: it’s a superbly welcoming eco-lodge

Great for comfort, beauty, character and home baking. Borrow vintage bikes to explore Cambridge: Christine knows it inside out

Come for a traffic-free medieval hamlet in sleepy Maremma with easy-going hosts, a beautiful garden and views over the valley

A perfect spot with views of rolling hills, sunflowers and vineyards. Enthusiastic hosts and heaps to do here - watch wildlife, bake, swim

You get the best of all worlds here. Delicious beds, Provençal soaps, vineyard views, fresh croissants a stroll away…

Where else is breakfast served by candlelight in winter? Friendly staff, lovely bedrooms, off-street parking and Arthur’s Seat all wait

An attractive, sympathetic barn conversion, full of light, pleasingly uncluttered and hidden down a lane in stunningly beautiful countryside

A pub with rooms in the epicentre of London on trendy Westbourne Grove, a ten-minute stroll from Notting Hill

A mid 1800s converted farmhouse and a cottage in a quiet hamlet with private gardens and lovely grounds, just 15 minutes from the coast