Tranquillity and comfort in a guesthouse in the Marche countryside - airy rooms for couples with huge windows onto good views

Enjoy views over the lake, eat good food in the restaurant, sleep in antique-filled bedrooms, have a proper rest

For retreats, groups of friends, and big families: come to recharge the senses at this special and ancient house enveloped by wild gardens

Come for sea air, independent shops, great places to eat and this quirky cottage with plenty of room and a sunny walled garden

High-up, simple apartments, pools with fabulous views; kids play-things and donkeys, the glittering coast, Rapallo and Portofino down below

Good bolthole with two terraces offering spectacular views over the historic town, and restaurants and bars a short stroll

A 1980s Catalan mas built in a traditional style, with garden and pool, surrounded by olive trees and vineyards near the Spanish border

Serene retreat in the French countryside with elegant interiors and impeccable hosting from the lovely Anne-Laure

A romantic creekside cottage down a web of narrow lanes in a tumbling green valley – mess about on the water to your heart’s content

Bring boots, maps, your dog and an appetite for high places and deep comfort in this restored farm conversion

Gloriously green rural self-catering apartments with pool and lovely, friendly owners

A stylish base for those who want to explore the beautiful north – expect good food, stylish interiors and a pretty market town

Elegant stable cottage in the heart of Northumberland, with lush gardens and cosy interiors. Explore castles, coast and countryside

Simply furnished, tasteful rooms - perfect for a country getaway! Enjoy coastal views at breakfast or explore the village.

A luxurious 1920s manor house with superbly stylish rooms, secluded gardens and a heated pool; close to the Picardy coast

A light, bright and peaceful 18th-century palazzo in a very quiet town, with a sea-view terrace, peaceful bedrooms and delicious breakfasts

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

This friendly, Scottish island B&B has the Atlantic at the end of the garden and air so clean the lichen grows like beards from the trees