Your host runs home and B&B with effortless efficiency and you'll find shiny, spotless rooms to retreat to after a day's exploring

You have the whole North Wing of this beautiful old farmhouse with a private east-facing courtyard for early morning tea as the sun rises

Dreamy, divine and close to Borghetto, a romantic escape for nature lovers, city folk... with swans, geese, herons and frog chorus

Ideal for families: pool, tennis and golf at the hotel with beach and yachting nearby. Comfortable bedrooms and a terrace for outdoor dining

A hilltop setting for this ancient fortress with an illustrious past. You stay in apartments or farmhouses inside or outside the walls

Vast house on an ancient Roman site with big terraced garden and pool. Grand yet homely, with air-con, spa and only 8 km to the city

Lovely small hotel in quirky market town surrounded by miles of stunning country – pretty rooms, tasty food and fine ales wait

This 300-year-old Cotswold pub, the hub of picture-book Sapperton from which there are glorious walks, is a superb place to eat and stay

In peaceful walled gardens, this former convent is a quiet retreat just a stone’s throw from the Riviera coast and the best of Tuscany

Elegant farmhouse B&B. Drawing room with a log fire, generous breakfasts with home produce, cookery courses and friendly welcoming hosts

Airy villa for four overlooking Lake Como. Stunning views, private sunny terrace - a peaceful communal garden to wander too

This cottage is stylish and serene, beautifully transformed from an old farm building – come for golf, beaches, walks and bird-watching

A rural haven in a lovely garden with comfortable bedrooms, brilliant breakfasts and bikes for hire – explore the Parque Natural

Gracious hosts pamper guests in their family mansion, with a wellness spa, fire-warmed lounge and four-course meals from a talented chef

A grand, 16th-century Breton château complete with dovecote, turret and chapel surrounded by 50 acres of parkland, woods and small lake

Two elegant village houses for big happy gatherings of friends and family with a yoga studio, spacious courtyard and glistening pool

A stunning veranda wraps itself around the house: doze off in a wicker armchair or sip a drink at dusk as the sun melts into the valley