Airy, spacious, sunny. This Lot gîte is a delight: linen curtains, oak stair, sunny pool. Sarlat and painted caves are an easy venture away

Gaze out to the shimmering bay from your bird and nature-filled retreat in the tree-studded mountains near Alcúdia

Something to astound at every turn where the traditional and downright quirky collide to stunning effect. Friendly, flexible hosts too

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

Come for sea air, independent shops, great places to eat and this quirky cottage with plenty of room and a sunny walled garden

Ease through a beautiful wrought iron gate to a courtyard and an elegant 1700s creamy stone holiday house, part of the château estate

Friendly inn close to Glastonbury. Locals come for breakfast, there's a lively bar and excellent bedrooms, some with a bath in the room

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

A stylish, refined 17th-century house off a quiet street with its own garden and lots of generous surprises, a short hop to everything

A gem of a house in a lovely unspoilt village with an intelligent, interesting owner who gives you delicious food and local wines

A 15th-century courtyard hides a petite contemporary apartment – a fabulous base from which to explore the city and all its treasures

Smart apartments set in a château with landscaped gardens, a lake and a small spa; the town centre and a wild beach are an easy stroll away