Immaculate Cotswold beauty with great food, welcoming staff, handsome rooms and a sun-trap terrace, plus countryside walks from the door

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

A rural idyll with a hot tub under starlit skies and surrounded by gorgeous countryside in the South Lakes within a hop of vibrant Cartmel

Painting courses on request, gardens full of roses, a parasol’d terrace, a seductive pool… we love this welcoming, traditional hotel

A charming B&B in south Sardinia, near Cagliari: circled by palms and cypresses, overlooking sweet-smelling lemon & orange groves. Bliss

Lovely big room in its own wing of a Victorian farmhouse. A peaceful spot with views across fields and an elegant drawing room

Three gîtes in the Dordogne with panoramic countryside views and a swimming pool – book individually or together for a group holiday

Adorable cottages in pastoral peace with views to Wimborne Minster; cook and eat in modern kitchens. Blue flag beaches are close

A restful space with a pretty garden in a quiet Derbyshire village - the pub a short stroll away and Chatsworth near

Where sea and woodland meet, an inspiring and beautiful haven with estuary views; a gourmet’s delight and Honfleur down the road

Family-friendly hotel on Ullswater with a pool and a variety of bedrooms, some super-cool - swim in the lake, walk in the hills, eat well

A bit like staying with friends in a smart country house, but not having to help - an elegant refuge near Bradford-on-Avon

Two comfortably converted farm buildings, with a shared pool on a gentle south-east sloping vineyard with wonderful views

A rare treat to stay in this lovely stone farmhouse in the Durham Dales with acres of private farmland and magical interiors by Rita Konig

Gorgeous rooms, delicious food, gardens and lake to explore, a spoiling spa with indoor pool and much comfort between moors and the sea

Elegant Italian style in a sensitively-restored villa with sweeping views over rolling hills and forests

This is Somerset at its most quintessential: a thatched roofed, honey-coloured Hamstone cottage with a pretty courtyard garden; sleeps four

Come for Tudor beams, a sunny roof terrace and the bustle of Lewes in this beautifully restored coaching inn