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

Once a coach house, now a split-level place to stay – you can walk to the river and it's just a short hop to central London

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

Relaxed, bohemian vibe out in the wilds yet close to civilization. An organic garden and woodland yurt add to the convivial, communal idyll

One of five cottages on the Wern Estate, all comfort and charm, with a garden for kids, rockpools at Black Rock Sands and a mountain railway

Come for a big gathering of friends or family and take the whole house plus an extra cottage in the pretty gardens – swim in the pool, relax

Come for breezy bedrooms, pretty gardens, a serene pool and delicious breakfasts at this gorgeous finca in rural Extremadura near Trujillo

An 18th-century stone cottage sitting in the glorious Yorkshire Dales. Nature-lovers and walkers will be well pleased and so will their dog

Unwind in glorious Northumberland with beaches, proper dunes, ancient castles and two cosy cottages with open fires, sea views and gardens

What a setting! Gentle terraces, gardens, meadows and jaw-dropping views of Mont Blanc - just metres from Courmayeur

A family-run, environmentally friendly bistro with rooms near Grasmere: climb to the nearest viewing spot. Dogs welcome too

The privacy of a big terraced garden, a small decked pool and attractive, clutter-free rooms - close to harbour town bustle and restaurants

Stay in the very first holiday let in the history of this lovely little hamlet of nine houses, with a superb sailing club and a decent pub

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

Log fires smoulder, rooms are comfortable, the food is delicious and there's bags of character at this old village pub – once a cider house

Between Penzance and Helston and close to sandy beaches is a sweet space for four. Good for young families and all garden lovers

A magical medieval castello, gloriously gothic with tower, moat and ghost, fit for a Shakespearian play.

A neat, recently restored townhouse inside Panicale's medieval walls with plenty of space and everything within walking distance