Secluded place with home-grown food, much peace and walks by the river for a couple (or small family). Courses and solo retreats too

You're overlooking the main square in medieval Umbertide from this cosy, second-floor apartment, so you'll feel very much like a local

Ease through a beautiful wrought iron gate to a courtyard and an elegant 1700s creamy stone holiday house, part of the château estate

Good old-fashioned service, fresh and gleaming surroundings, great food and very comfortable rooms at this rejuvenated roadside inn

A lovely restored house on a farm beside a cluster of ancient buildings surrounded by lush forest and grasslands – a deeply rural spot

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

Flop in a hammock and be lulled by Mediterranean scents and breezes, relax in an ancient Trullo – come here for raw beauty not for frills

An immaculately restored cottage with a blissful sun room, private terrace, gardens, pool and orchard for a warm and peaceful hideaway

Cool, airy villa with Lake Como glistening below. Beautiful terraces and garden, plunge pool - and chilled prosecco and cake to welcome you

An airy, art-filled house for groups of family or friends, with plenty of space, a secluded courtyard and pool near the beach

Traditional beamed cottage, tucked in the hills, with views to distant beaches plus colourful gardens and a pool

A gorgeous eco-build set in a wildflower meadow a short walk from thriving Presteigne and with a shepherd’s hut for spillover

A friendly, generous, big old house with not an ounce of pretension. Big families will adore gathering here to have fun and unwind

A much-loved family home filled with warmth and characterful interiors overlooking Loch Alsh where dolphins and seals frolic

Nestled next to the main house, this feels part cottage and part townhouse, making a cosy retreat just a couple of miles from the coast

Elegant 19th-century château deep in the Dordogne forest promises seclusion, serenity and an unhurried, sun-soaked escape.

Come for an authentic French village experience in this old stone house next to the church with glorious countryside for walks and cycles

Good old-fashioned hospitality in a quiet Highlands cottage ringed by roses and roe deer. Forest and coastal walks, shortbread and tea