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

A heavenly setting for this very well-hidden cottage with its own small pool, amazing views and delightful pebble beach below

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

A stunning setting in acres of citrus groves for this lovely old farm with 16th-century roots, a big pool, hammocks and a restaurant

A serene riverside retreat on the Lot, with manicured gardens and a shared pool, tennis court and children's playground for socialising

A hideaway for two on an old farm, gifted to The National Trust for Jersey, with a pretty walled garden and circled by verdant countryside

Come to stay in a fine old townhouse with elegant proportions, high ceilings and a rambling, English-style garden close to Mont Saint-Michel

An inspirational setting and an enthusiastic welcome from your hosts and their young family - lose your heart to its baroque beauty

Gorgeous scenic views from this relaxed and friendly B&B tucked in a tiny hamlet in the Dordogne near Bergerac

A large, attractive 18th-century house with sweeping lawns, outdoor seating areas and two free-standing baths by an ivy-clad wall

On the doorstop, Dovedale, Buxton, Chatsworth House... Come home to snooker, books, logs, a patio with views and masses of lovely space

Come for big, peaceful bedrooms with views, delicious home cooked breakfasts and riverside strolls through ancient beech woodland

A wall of glass frames the sea view - take drinks on the waterfront lawn in summer, or by the crackling fire in winter

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

Stay a while... lulled by lapping sea and fragrant hanging gardens - cool, light, balconied, classic, intimate, unpretentious

An 1820s beach house just 50 metres from the pretty sands and a first-floor deck for al fresco meals with stunning views over the water

At the foot of the Cambrian Mountains, an ancient whitewashed cottage with cosy, light-flooded interiors – a perfect rural bolthole for two

A rare treat, 700 metres above sea level and girdled by forests, waterfalls, chestnuts and olives, this is the place to come for solace