A romantic creekside cottage down a web of narrow lanes in a tumbling green valley – mess about on the water to your heart’s content

Great for gatherings of family and friends: fine views, a good big kitchen, games room and pool; nearby caves and castles to explore

Peace, space and sophisticated living at a serene villa-apartment in the hills above Cannes

A sweet bolthole around a courtyard on a smallholding, extremely comfortable, bright and spacious inside and with a communal garden

A 17th-century traditional Welsh longhouse in a very sheltered spot facing south and with a pretty garden surrounded by fields and meadows

A lovely old stone cottage in a group round a pretty courtyard, with your own private patio and seating area, on the Pink Granite Coast

A wonderful taste of Andalucian life here at these sweet farm cottages with long views. Walks radiate from the door, Granada is close

Rural peace just an hour from London in your own gorgeous converted hay barn, ten minutes from Alton

A heated pool, charming B&B rooms and acres of beautiful grounds beside the Adour River - Bayonne and Biarritz are close

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

Escape your cares here, move from terrace to terrace tracking the sun's progress and dive into the sea from your own swimming platform

A gem of a house in a lovely unspoilt village with an intelligent, interesting owner who gives you delicious food and local wines

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

Agriturismo at its best - delightful hosts, communal meals of superb home-grown food, homely rooms, a garden filled with fragrant flowers...

Manor house in the grounds of a quintessential 18th-century French château with pretty gardens and lots of space just 3kms from Bayeux

Old meets new in Benoit’s charming villa with courtyard pool, breakfasts to linger over and all the fun of La Baule on the doorstep

A detached 1960s house in a fabulous position with beautiful views over the mountains and plenty of space for walkers and skiers

Glass-and-timber doors bathe you with light, gaze at big skies and the river Dart lapping. Sublime year round, it's one of our favourites