Apartments with a designer touch in a peaceful, evocative setting; private gardens, intimate terraces, infinity pool, stunning lake views and a gourmet restaurant

Heaps to do on-site: organic farm shop & café, cookery & cheese-making courses, farm tours. A brilliant base for exploring the Cotswolds too

Near lively Lyon, this handsome family house is perfect for a Zen-like escape with delicious vegetarian meals and well-travelled hosts

A cottage for two on a wonderfully eco wine school and vineyard. Gaze at magnificent views from your terrace

A stylish hotel, tucked away yet central, an unusually quiet base for exploring Rome just a three-minute walk from the tube station

Deeply peaceful countryside retreat with exceptional food and wine laid on by Sam and Heather, your friendly hosts

Live like a local at these rustic apartments with a shared courtyard; walk to restaurants and shops, take the ferry to the beach

A converted chapel - cosy and creative - right on the beach. Wander the Cornish coast, explore small towns and retreat from the everyday

Part of the original Wensleydale creamery overlooking the river, with bustling Hawes and great walking country right on your doorstep

Character and quirk in old and new design and furnishing – private terraces, a shared pool, great walking, cycling and wine-tasting

Come for the utter silence and the rare beauty of this far north-westerly landscape, teeming with wildlife. An antidote to city life

A cosy and pretty old cottage for rest or romance, with garden and pool in a small hamlet surrounded by walnut orchards and mixed woodland

Colourful coastal apartments and studios where you can be nicely independent, and enjoy a communal café and health club with Art Deco pool

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

An elegant 18th-century manor in the market town of Malesherbes, sitting behind its own walls and with mature gardens for a peaceful retreat

Vistas of olive groves, village life and the sea; gaze and daydream from this beautiful spot. A Michelin recommended restaurant to boot

Tucked down a high-hedged lane on a working farm with gorgeous walks from the door and stunning views of the unspoilt Exe valley

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