Coffee served in silver cups & cakes are homemade in this duke’s palace, a throwback to the Moorish kingdom - a Sawday's Community Champion

A grand spot for walkers, cyclists and nature lovers - this warm, informal B&B gives you very comfortable rooms and delicious breakfasts

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

Come for a sense of complete peace surrounded by country and coast with wonderful interiors to boot – a bolthole for two (plus two)

Starry skies, wild beauty and total peace are yours in these sustainable, solar-powered eco-lodges

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

You're on an ancient packhorse trail just a stone's throw from the coast. There's a timeless feel to this place and the peace is deep

Step into a place full of life, colour, texture and clever design surrounded by beautiful gardens and lakes

Feel very private in this light and bright B&B room with your own patio and pleasing views over garden and countryside

Old beams and rich history: a dramatic setting for fireside chats, superb breakfasts (home-reared, baked, grown) - and Midsomer Murders

Escape to the heart of the Haute-Savoie and this impressive château near Annecy, Mont Blanc and Lake Geneva

Stylish B&B rooms in a peaceful little château, amongst rolling hills, woods and farmland - bikes and boules to borrow, lovely pool to share

Landscaped gardens, orchard and potager blend into Normandy countryside. Return from rural walks to a log fire and comfortable armchairs

Plenty of uncluttered easy space both in and out by the private pool - children love the freedom - great wine, food, and cycling country

A comfy cottage for two in the quiet, leafy outskirts of Aix with easy access to the city and a kind, attentive owner nearby

A big, beamed contemporary barn filled with light and surrounded by unspoilt countryside for a romantic retreat.