Spacious bedrooms, friendly hosts and a classic English country house in a peaceful hamlet with walks from the doorstep

An elegant hotel that feels like a well-kept secret, with charming staff, understated rooms and great restaurants a short walk away

Georgian country house with rustic charm and a home-from-home feel. In the heart of Wiltshire just outside historic town Bradford-on-Avon

Step into the valley region from this beautifully restored 17th-century house surrounded by saltwater and freshwater canals and lakes

Once a shooting lodge, this stand-alone big building was part of a medieval estate and you can still see the grassy mount and dungeon tower

Come for summer breakfasts of pastries fresh from the local bakery, afternoons reading by the pool and long, lazy lunches

Birdwatchers and artists delight: acres of peaceful land, close to some of Cornwall’s finest galleries – and the sea

Secluded place with home-grown food, much peace and walks by the river for a couple (or small family). Courses and solo retreats too

Rural peace just an hour from London in your own gorgeous converted hay barn, ten minutes from Alton

A chic bolthole in a sleepy Suffolk village with seriously good food, stylish bedrooms, riverside walks and Suffolk’s wild coast

Serene, panoramic views from picture windows at this off-grid romantic bolthole in the hills with a cosy wood-burner and local treats

An unbelievably stunning setting for this renovated 15th-century villa with garden on a hillside overlooking the famed Florence skyline

Bask in the beautiful Basque country at this friendly B&B in the village, with family-run restaurant for delicious suppers

Quaint barns dotted among truffle oaks and rosemary, each one constructed the old-fashioned way and close to the Dordogne and Vézère

Traditional beamed cottage, tucked in the hills, with views to distant beaches plus colourful gardens and a pool

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

An 18th-century converted barn with lofty beamed ceilings, exposed stonework, handmade oak windows and much art – pretty garden too

Come to discover Beaujolais, Mâconnais and the Rhône from this sumptuous retreat with a pool and heavenly views