A luxurious 1920s manor house with superbly stylish rooms, secluded gardens and a heated pool; close to the Picardy coast

A deliciously cool loft hideaway set among tall sycamores in the grounds of the main house, with a New York Tribeca feel and much comfort

Beautifully refurbished inn with good food, calming rooms and the South Downs all around. Chichester, Petworth and Goodwood are close

Choose the atmospheric early Georgian house or the garden bedrooms, all have views, Paul's welcome is genuine and his dinners delicious

A period manor and pretty rooms in old stables: a quiet base for Pas-de-Calais and Picardie. Madame loves the house, animals, story-telling

A renovated, comfy Victorian cottage behind a small village pub, a hub for the local community and with good food, ales and wine

Come for a traffic-free medieval hamlet in sleepy Maremma with easy-going hosts, a beautiful garden and views over the valley

A surprisingly roomy interior for this pretty chocolate-box cottage in the middle of the village, just a ten-minute walk from Lulworth Cove

Stay in a celebrated French author’s holiday home, beautifully restored and tucked among pines next to one of Brittany's loveliest bays

A cosy and relaxing village inn in the heart of the unspoilt Ebble Valley (wonderful for walkers) with fresh bedrooms and excellent food

Full of country-hideaway chic, this special holiday home is in one of the loveliest parts of the Var, surrounded by 10 private acres

An exquisite Provençal home for a large party, hidden behind grand gates in a small village surrounded by the pine-scented Alpilles

A fortified castle in parkland, built mostly in the 1300s on the Montbazens plateau, near to the stunning Averyon gorges

Light-filled house full of modern art and antique finds with stunning gardens and a pool. The best of Provence is on your doorstep

Lovely views over the river Anglin from the large windows of this old industrial-like building, once used for honey production on the estate

A humdinger of a pub, hidden in a sleepy village in the Surrey Hills, oozing character and charm and with delicious food and comfy bedrooms

An 18th-century watermill with millrace and pond, now a smart B&B with a swimming pool and pretty gardens, run by charming English hosts