A light, bright and peaceful 18th-century palazzo in a very quiet town, with a sea-view terrace, peaceful bedrooms and delicious breakfasts

A very tastefully restored old stone stable on a gloriously rural estate with woodland gardens, lake and a deer park

An entire literary estate on the Brittany coast, with a trio of restored houses, fabulous gardens and a private path to the beach

Breakfast on homemade ricotta, bask on a cool white lounger, swim in the cove below. We love this young, friendly, rustic B&B

An elegant manor house with pretty bedrooms, pool and large grounds. Nathalie looks after you with ease and sets you up with big breakfasts

An expansive and generous 13th-century Catalan farmhouse, restored with verve and colour in the Pyrenees - a wonderful spot for groups

If you need a great place in which to relax and don’t want to pay too much for it, try these excellent suites, which spoil you all the way

A cosy, beautifully refurbished flat in a Georgian house bang in the middle of the unspoilt town with its pretty streets and houses

Immerse yourself in 50 acres of peaceful countryside and the fine pool. Generous owners are on hand, Les Eyzies is just a few minutes' drive

A grand old chartreuse, dating from 1649, with terrace, garden and pool surrounded by tranquil countryside and near a pretty village

Small and elegant family-run hotel with airy bedrooms, plenty of private spaces and a bus to take you to the centre of bustling Avignon

A renovated Dordogne farmhouse infused with new life, plus a saltwater pool, an ancient fig tree, and Lascaux on the doorstep

Your own cottage on a wine estate in a very beautiful part of the South Downs, famed for world-class sparkling wines

A cool converted barn on an organic farm near Brittany’s loveliest beaches, with a kitchen garden and play area, perfect for foodie families

Vineyards, fruit trees and immaculate gardens, amazing food and wine, a sense of seclusion and sweeping views of the Tuscan hills

An artist's house imbued with an understated elegance. Stay for dinner; be charmed by the garden where fruit trees throng, hens loiter

Restored stone barn on a farm in the Lake District National Park, with views of fields and woods and an excellent pub nearby

Amazing beaches, a pub you can hike to, a train to get you to Snowdonia... and your own remote cottage with stunning views