The holiday starts on the bumpy track along to this Arts & Crafts style modern house with plenty of space and a wrap-around garden

Citrus scents the air, loungers flank a spakling pool. Light, cool, simple rooms, vibrant hosts, garden and olive groves - divine food

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

A spacious farmhouse with a pool in the grounds of a stately château. Wander the walled garden, explore the countryside and pretty villages

A 19th-century bothy in remote, rugged countryside on the edge of the Cairngorms, for walkers, birders and seekers of peace

Come to walk, cycle, fish and hunker down in style in front of the wood-burner - sleep in deep comfort in a lovingly converted barn

Immerse yourself in 50 acres of peaceful countryside and the fine pool. Generous owners are on hand, Les Eyzies is just a few minutes' drive

Airy villa for four overlooking Lake Como. Stunning views, private sunny terrace - a peaceful communal garden to wander too

Classic-modern luxury, a charming young hostess and a peaceful setting – perfect for breakfast-lovers, wine buffs and all the family

Cottages, rooms and apartments on an historic 18th-century family estate with gorgeous gardens, a shared pool and a view-filled terrace

Large, unpretentious and very comfortable family house in splendid isolation with swimming pool, tennis court and well-tended gardens

A warm retreat in a charming Sussex backwater, with a changing menu of fabulous food, and well-furbished bedrooms upstairs

A thatched farmhouse only just over the channel near Rouen that’s well hidden in lush gardens, but worth finding for the gourmet food alone

In the Welsh Marches, down winding lanes, a delightful refurbished hop pickers' house - romantic bolthole for 2. Friendly owners, too

A small and stylish townhouse retreat in leafy Folkestone with excellent bedrooms and a terrace for breakfast in summer

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

Cosy hideaway for two surrounded by woods and wildflower meadows. Stroll to shops and pubs, explore historic Border towns or the coast

Jagged Dolomite peaks frame every view from this farmhouse with two neat apartments – come sun or snow, adventures in nature await