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

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

Ascot is a trot down the road and there's a really cosy, cottagey feel to this quaint 18th-century inn with great food and comfy bedrooms

With incredible views across to distant hilltop towns, olive groves and buzzing bees, this elegant farmhouse has bags of charm

Lavender shortbread and baked peaches for breakfast at this most artistic of homes. The courtyard with magnolia and orange trees is lovely

Immaculate bedrooms, a rustic bar... but there’s more to this place than cool design. The service is superb and the food is lovely

Welcome to an immaculate and historic retreat with private gardens, ten minutes from the Finistère coast (and oysters!)

Once a hunting lodge, this unique and authentic 18th-century architectural folly sits up a quiet tree-lined drive on the edge of the estate

Come for deep beds, real fires, Scottish breakfasts, a generous welcome, great walking, cycle tracks and grand lochside views

Friendly owners settle you in to this cool, creatively styled barn. Perfect for groups & families with big pool & garden

There’s a calm feel to this three-storey cottage, close to the centre of Bridport and the beach. Great for families, walkers and dogs

This famous old country house might not come cheap, but where else can you splash out in such decadent style for life’s big celebrations?

Award-winning Aga-cooked breakfasts, scented candles, gorgeous beds... Come for a break from clock-watching and a spot of Shropshire air

You're only a whisper away from history in this family-run château, where rose gardens, sumptuous bedrooms and generous breakfasts wait

Glorious views of Derwentwater and Skiddaw from this comfortable house. Art dotted about, a big table for chatty meals and a pretty garden

Bask in the warmth of the owners at this chic 'maison de maître' in off-track Provence - 12km from lovely hilltop Gordes

Light, bright and smartly decorated, this grown-up B&B is a calm retreat from the hectic whirl near charming Colwell Bay, Isle of Wight

For escapists, wannabe writers and lovers of rural bliss: two boho hideaways for two (four at a squeeze) in this lush corner of Galicia