A beautifully converted dairy with a magical garden in a quiet village surrounded by lovely countryside

An exquisitely restored 500-year-old inn, where the accent is very much on food, reared and grown nearby and with very comfortable rooms

A sophisticated and friendly Basque beauty overlooking the Bay of Biscay, in Txakoli vineyard country – prepare to be thoroughly spoilt

Three restful B&B apartments, unique and stylish with communal spaces, wellbeing and healing, delicious home-cooked food

Between Paris and Rouen, a handsome country house in Monet scenery. Cows graze, bedrooms soothe, friendships bud over bountiful breakfasts

From the delicious scented garden with its limestone pool to the cool rooms with perfect linen, this is a place for a special occasion

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

Atmospheric English pub with rooms by the green with its duck ponds in a pretty village, with walking and cycling routes to join

A privately-owned cottage, full of interesting things, on tranquil farmland within the NT Stackpole Estate a 20-minute walk to the coast

Take breakfast on the terrace, splash in the fabulous pool. A secluded, friendly, immaculate villa close to golf and surfing beaches

A lovely little bolthole to return to after days out exploring pretty Cotswold villages and walking in an AONB straight from the door

A magical Scottish Baronial-style house with stunning valley views; stroll to good restaurants, explore the spectacular Borders

5 houses near Siena to make design-lovers happy; come for the rural solitude of ancient stone farm buildings with urban interiors

A cottage in a conservation village with logs in the burner, sloe gin on the table, and a good dining pub you can walk to

Refined palazzo with a rooftop terrace near the historic centre of Ostuni. The Valle d’Itria region and the coast is on your doorstep

Steps from the sea in get-away-from-it-all scenery – half an hour’s walk from St Ives’ arty heart. Sleeps 4 with pull-out beds for 2 more

There's a lovely welcome at this manoir near the sea with its family-friendly room arrangements (cottages, kitchens) and its outdoor pool

A wall of glass frames the sea view - take drinks on the waterfront lawn in summer, or by the crackling fire in winter