You’re in Snowdonia National Park: cycle, hike, swim, climb & trampoline to your heart’s content. Come home to comfort, warmth, grand views

Elegance and ease mark this gentle group of Loire-Valley buildings, with soft-textured interiors and the owners’ fine hospitality and food

This is Somerset at its most quintessential: a thatched roofed, honey-coloured Hamstone cottage with a pretty courtyard garden; sleeps four

An elegant French château brimming with antiques and surrounded by landscaped lawns. Enjoy convivial dinners with the perfect host

A lovely, spacious 1830s house in the heart of arty Westport with nearly an acre of garden, an apple orchard and the river running past

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

Everything is on the doorstep and you'll find much comfort at these smart self-catering apartments in the heart of the city

A comfortable and light-filled converted stone barn in the pretty Vendée, a quiet and rural spot but just half a mile from town

Gorgeous rooms and splendid breakfasts – for sybarites, history-lovers, cyclists and canoeists - bang in the middle of ancient Long Melford

Wander down a pebble path to this large, light holiday home near La Rochelle. Eco-friendly, accessible to all, and perfectly peaceful

A chalet-with-everything: great mountain style, space and comfort with views of Mont Blanc, a sauna and bubbling hot tub

A cosy, very comfortable stone cottage with fine views across the valley, just a couple of miles from the southern tip of Ullswater

A lucky break to stay here: part of a 1669 grade-II* listed Almshouse with modern interiors; leafy and quiet yet a short hop from the town

17th-century farmhouse full of colour and interest with friendly hosts and great breakfasts. Explore the Cotswolds - bring the dog too

Cross an ancient stone bridge to a 1790s estate cottage, completely on its own down a little-used green lane and with the river rushing by

A stunning château with huge rooms, pretty balconies with views, peaceful garden. Super owners, excellent dinners - and child-friendly too

Music evenings, pop-up theatre nights and great food at the Sash brasserie. You’re just a stroll from shops and bars

A rare treat, 700 metres above sea level and girdled by forests, waterfalls, chestnuts and olives, this is the place to come for solace