Breakfast on homemade ricotta, bask on a cool white lounger, swim in the cove below. We love this young, friendly, rustic B&B

Fire up the BBQ, watch the sunsets, stroll to one of the best stretches of coastline in the world. Bliss for walkers, birders and escapees

Beautiful Noto is 4 miles from the Ionian Sea, and this creative renovation, with lush garden, stands above the throng. Heaven in Sicily

Great staff, beautiful design, a fine old building and sublime food make this 600-year-old inn a perfect escape all year round

A grand yet very homely place with tasty home cooking and 200 acres to explore. Play golf, sail, cycle – wonderfully informal

Popular with families, this Glen of Rannoch mountain-view cottage with a homely atmosphere is a cheerful place to stay year-round

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.

Agriturismo at its best - delightful hosts, communal meals of superb home-grown food, homely rooms, a garden filled with fragrant flowers...

Gite retreats in château grounds - welcoming and wonderful for young families. Build castles in the sandpit, make friends around the pool

Sweep along the gravel drive through lawns and specimen trees to this elegant manor house with 17th-century roots

Come to discover the ancient history of Dornes in a spectacular riverside setting - one point of the famous 'Templar Triangle' of Portugal

A cosy, beautifully refurbished flat in a Georgian house bang in the middle of the unspoilt town with its pretty streets and houses

A charming renovated stone gîte only 15km from Bergerac with a large outdoor pool, pretty gardens and walks and cycle rides from the door

At the foot of the Cambrian Mountains, an ancient whitewashed cottage with cosy, light-flooded interiors – a perfect rural bolthole for two

Secluded stone farmhouse, fragrant gardens, a natural pool, and winding forest paths – the perfect off-grid Tuscan escape

A slice of rural heaven close to the Pembrokeshire coast - good rooms, hearty food, wonderful walks and beautiful beaches wait

A newly built house facing the sea and surrounded by acres of land – perfect for swimmers, sailors, nature lovers and peace seekers

Explore country markets, churches and châteaux - return to a gite in private parkland with an artist's studio on site, and a blissful pool