Dinner fresh from the garden with your creative hosts is an absolute delight. Roam unspoilt countryside, visit châteaux and vineyards galore

Walk, ride, bike or canoe, climb a mountain, head for Hay, then return to a comfortable bar, warm bedrooms and delicious food

Wonky floors and handmade beds in a restored coaching inn for 4, 6 or 8 - sociable evenings round the farmhouse table, walks from the door

Hilltop château on the edge of a small village half an hour from Saint-Émilion, with a lovely garden, a swimming pool and two lakes

You’ve got history on your doorstep in this beautiful and serene B&B, with charming gardens and a real sense of style in every room

Charming, laid-back B&B in the foothills of the Algarve. All you hear are the birds, yet the beaches are a ten-minute drive

A smartly renovated village pub with rooms welcoming locals, visitors, families and dogs on a Staffordshire country estate

For wine lovers and foodies discovering the 'Tuscany of Bordeaux'. Elegance, serenity, history, and a delightfully epicurean hostess

The views are green, both cottages are homely and comfortable and the gardens have direct access to the riverbank footpath for walks

Books, meadow flowers, a rocking chair by a cosy fire at this treasure-trove cottage of beautiful things - down tiny lanes in west Cork

A rustic and elegant farmhouse retreat in Provence with a pool, vineyards and wildlife-filled pond – a launchpad for the Luberon

Lovers will be happy here in their own sweet space with a bird-filled garden. All you will hear is the river flowing gently past you

A neatly-converted old farmhouse on a quiet country lane with bright living spaces, heated pool, garden and hot tub just minutes from sandy beaches

Come for a quintessentially English country cottage tucked down a village path with wisteria in the garden and a short walk to a foodie pub

Bright, cosy cottage in a quiet Devon village, four miles from Totnes, with two good pubs nearby and an en suite ground-floor bedroom

A contemporary rooftop room in a warmly civilised B&B filled with books and lovely things – stunning view too

Romantics will love this small converted hut-on-a-hillside surrounded by pines and olives with stunning views over the old town and the sea

Sweep through vast wrought iron gates to this elegant Grade I listed Georgian country house with a swimming lake, yoga studio and sauna