Elegant house with sprawling gardens and space for family and friends, within walking distance of the coast

Visit Florence, Arezzo, Siena… or revel in the beauty and peace of Casa Zia, surrounded by wilderness and lovely birdsong

In the heart of the East Sussex countryside, a fun community inn, with rustic-historic bedrooms, scrumptious food, and a great welcome for dogs

An impressive manor house set in gentle rolling countryside ten miles from Oxford with a delightful garden, warm hosts and organic breakfast

Family cottage within 25 acres of fields, garden and orchard with fresh eggs to collect, wellies for walking and animals roaming the farm

You have your own entrance to a private wing with a garden and an elegant sitting room. Bedrooms are beautiful and breakfast scrumptious

A medieval monastery, stunningly revived, in untouristy, car-free Pisciotta. Sip greco on the terrace; scramble through olives to the sea

Shady spots in the garden, a pool overlooked by tall palms, a bar nook stocked with drinks and a new spa in the Serra do Açor

Sweet Grade II listed fisherman's terrace cottage for 4 (+ 1) close to the centre of bustling St Ives; a place to escape to year-round

Historic old house in a beautiful, traditional village. Boulangerie, bar, crêperie all a stroll away

A converted 19th-century church in the Northumberland National Park with beautiful stained-glass windows and a restored tower

Creative owners have made a gorgeous, arty space for couples or a small group of friends; good beaches and Salcombe are close

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

Two restored mill buildings in the serene French countryside, with river views and artful interiors – a peaceful self-catering escape

A timbered, fire-warmed village farmhouse, home-grown dinners, delightfully French hosts. Deliciously authentic, generous and calm

A hugely seductive and stylish special place - with magnificent views, pool and bikes, vineyards and hilltop villages to visit

A small, delightful hotel, perched on a high hill within a 14th-century convent with stunning views, garden and pool - very special indeed

Gite retreats in château grounds - welcoming and wonderful for young families. Build castles in the sandpit, make friends around the pool