Beautifully connected, engagingly old-fashioned London pad, with a garden. Head out for Vauxhall Park, the Tate, Westminster...

If you want to come to Venice as an open-hearted traveller rather than a tourist then this is the place for you - just walk to everything

Cosy apartment for two in a cluster of farm buildings near Hawkshead, surrounded by countryside and with a good pub a stroll away

Tour the cellars or wander the history-rich château and grounds. A truly pretty place

Explore the coastal paths on foot or by bike, or simply sunbathe next to the pool... Leafy gardens, comfortable rooms and excellent dinners

A small hotel with gorgeous interiors, friendly staff, spacious rooms, a proper library, pretty garden and a relaxed, homely feel

A pretty little cottage in a holiday hamlet surrounded by fields, just a stone's throw from the coast and Binic for happy escapes

An elegant medieval manor in the Loire with spiral stone staircases, mullioned windows, jaunty turrets and a fairytale suite just for you

Traditional family-run hotel with sitting rooms galore, award-winning food and Snowdon views. High teas and games room for children too

Close to Saint-Jean-d'Angély, an elegant and spacious manor house with unfussy, comfortable interiors, bucolic views, big garden and pool

In the middle of the National Park and surrounded by the Coquet Hills, come for dark skies, fabulous walking and a very comfortable cottage

Woodland and fells encircle you, spa suites hang above water, food in the Michelin-starred restaurant is sublime – come for a real treat

Immersed in nature, high in the magnificent Cheviot Hills, this wooden-clad off-grid cottage has sleek, modern interiors and grand views

Your hosts couldn’t be nicer and look after you beautifully – this is a lovely, homely place with a rambling garden

Fall in love with this riverside village, lost in a valley in lower Normandy, and this sunny house for couples or families

Stay on a secluded private estate by the sea - once the home of the brilliant French writer, Colette

Vast house on an ancient Roman site with big terraced garden and pool. Grand yet homely, with air-con, spa and only 8 km to the city

Stylish barn in the Slaughters – footpaths from the door, idyllic Cotswolds villages to explore. Head home for garden drinks and barbecues