Lovely old house with award-winning restaurant and indoor swimming pool. Sleeps up to 18 so just the ticket for a big family gathering

A 1750 one-storey former farm building, beautifully converted into a lovely hideaway for walkers, nature lovers and peace seekers

A clutch of airy properties, most with their own jasmine-scented terraces arranged around a funky pool

Tranquil stone house with a rustic feel, a large garden with a swimming pool and views of the French Riviera and out to sea

An elegant house with ancient roots and a shimmering pool – explore the Charente countryside, drive to lovely Angoulême

Heart-soaring Pyrenean views, animals roaming, natural materials in simple rural rooms, organic food: it’s a superbly welcoming eco-lodge

A 300-year-old cottage and a secluded, magical setting next to the longest sea loch in the UK, for walkers, dreamers and nature lovers

A traditional, grand 1850 townhouse sitting in a large, landscaped garden with mature trees, a short walk to the village centre and square

Come for the gorgeous, wild North York Moors and this very pretty 1911 stone cottage in the grounds of an elegant manor house

Near Vosges mountains, a happy homely hotel surrounded by woods and flower-filled meadows with friendly hosts. Deliciously peaceful

Near Mont St Michel, an 18th-century 'maison de plaisance' in historic grounds run by a charming family. Don't miss the table d'hôte!

A red-brick cottage and Shepherd’s hut in a magical garden with a cookery school and views over the South Downs

For retreats, groups of friends, and big families: come to recharge the senses at this special and ancient house enveloped by wild gardens

Rambling casitas in a mountain hamlet, with a rustic bar, big shared pool and golf course, surrounded by birds, bougainvillea and views

Two comfortably converted farm buildings, with a shared pool on a gentle south-east sloping vineyard with wonderful views

Hike the Wild Boar Fells, get cosy at home with books, games and DVDs, and meet the farm’s hens, cows and sheep

This friendly, Scottish island B&B has the Atlantic at the end of the garden and air so clean the lichen grows like beards from the trees

In pretty Vernon, a peaceful and comfortably large townhouse with roses rambling around the door