A thatched farmhouse only just over the channel near Rouen that’s well hidden in lush gardens, but worth finding for the gourmet food alone

Step back in time at this wonderfully authentic château, loved deeply by its owners - 25km from Beaune and the Route des Grands Crus

Steam in the hot tub, gaze over crashing waves or later stars. Inside is swish, kids play in their games room, dinner is in view of the sea

A delightful coastal house with lush courtyard gardens, masses of space, home office and terraces galore

A charming hotel in a quiet neighbourhood in medieval Bologna, just the ticket for a city escape filled with food, history and culture

A wonderful old 1397 village inn, filled with history and character. Find gracious bedrooms, roaring fires, good food and a pretty garden

Fine contemporary interiors within this half-timbered hillside villa, built with natural materials and with a beautiful pool and jacuzzi

This architect-designed passive style house sits just behind the sand dunes at Waxham beach, one of Norfolk’s most lovely beaches

Spend restful days in a verdant garden, slip into the cooling pool, sip wine on your private balcony, stroll into arty Benissa

Bright, cosy cottage off the beaten track between the South Hams and Dartmoor, with good pubs nearby and an en suite ground-floor bedroom

One of England's oldest coaching inns, full of history and wonky floors, on a Surrey market town's high street

Welcome to the delights of a 15th-century Breton manor house, a meandering river inhabited by otters, and hosts who adore what they do

For escapists, wannabe writers and lovers of rural bliss: two boho hideaways for two (four at a squeeze) in this lush corner of Galicia

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

Family-run B&B in traditional trulli with hands-on hosts. Swim in the pool, explore the countryside, the coast is half an hour’s drive away

The views are breathtaking over forest and field from this lovely barn conversion on a working farm, for special gatherings

Between Penzance & Helston, close to Praa Sands, is a beautiful bolthole for 6. Good for garden lovers & peace-seekers – dog-friendly too

A lovely listed cottage, just stumbling distance from a good pub in a quiet village surrounded by spectacular walking and cycling country