An elegant townhouse, built in 1830 and once the sous-préfecture for Rochefort, with spacious, light-filled rooms and a garden with pool

Great gulps of ozone will engulf you at this architect-designed 1960s beach house - light, bright and sparkling, just like the ocean

A sprint from London: a Cotswolds pub modernised with sympathy and care. Happy staff, organic ales and food, gorgeous rooms

It's quiet among the lavender plants... bees humming, sun shining. Splash in the shared pool, visit lovely villages, taste local wines

Once a coach house, now a split-level place to stay – you can walk to the river and it's just a short hop to central London

A cracking English inn with open fires, great food, gorgeous rooms, happy staff, lovely gardens and well-kept English ales

A peaceful grown-up place circled by meadows and woodland with helpful owners next door – a superb spot to explore the south-west

Step through a door in an old wooden gate to discover a courtyard garden on the edge of town close to golden sands

An eye-catching ancient inn with a colourful flower garden in summer, delicious local food and very presentable bedrooms

A very pretty old coach house in a south London garden – perfect for a couple or a family. Friendly owners live across the courtyard

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

Four family-friendly self-catering casitas and an original cortijo in wildlife-rich acres near the sandy Costa de la Luz

Rooms with rooftop and mountain views, luxurious in their simplicity, heavenly breakfasts out on the terrace, and a cultured, caring owner

Gardeners will be very happy staying in this generous, comfortable B&B surrounded by stunning gardens with year-round interest

A bright and spacious cottage set against a backdrop of woodland for days spent happily reading by the wood-burner or lunch on the sun deck

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

Ease through a beautiful wrought iron gate to a courtyard and an elegant 1700s creamy stone holiday house, part of the château estate