Serious art, lovely lighting, great sound system and a fat wood-burner belting out the heat at this super place for families or friends

Peaceful Highland hideaway on a wooded lochside: spy dolphins and otters, stargaze, and soak up the deep silence

Come for fine food and drink, sumptuous bedrooms and a relaxed, informal atmosphere at this gorgeous Cotswold manor house with ancient roots

Live out all your bohemian dreams at this arty villa, with garden and plunge pool, perched above the glittering Riviera.

Saint Emilion and Castillon both a hop away from a warm, wonderful barn with owners to match. Stylish, cosy and deep in organic vines

A picture-perfect village and a beautifully refurbished 17th-century inn with a cracking bar, stylish bedrooms and delicious pub food

This civilised bolthole offers a quiet retreat, castle views and the magic of Edinburgh on your doorstep

A bustling inn with beautiful interiors, lovely food and deep peace all around - beaches, castles and Roman palaces wait on your doorstep

Historic and impeccably presented apartment in charming Stockbridge, a stroll from shops, restaurants and Botanic Gardens

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

Modest and authentic, a top-floor apartment in an eco-friendly Provençal farmhouse, with dogs and hens. River swims are a stroll away...

Elegant Italian style in a sensitively-restored villa with sweeping views over rolling hills and forests

You’ll feel nicely independent in this spacious open-plan hideaway surrounded by colourful gardens and Corscombe valley views

Quaint barns dotted among truffle oaks and rosemary, each one constructed the old-fashioned way and close to the Dordogne and Vézère

Friendly inn in the middle of Sedbergh. Lots of bedrooms to choose from, suntrap picnic area, walks in the Yorkshire Dales on the doorstep

Come with friends for a cookery course, or with the kids, and enjoy the creative feel of the place - and the food! Venice 40 mins by train

A warm and convivial place steeped in French history with an interesting, kind host who really looks after you. Under an hour from Paris too

Close to Saint-Jean-d'Angély, an elegant and spacious manor house with unfussy, comfortable interiors, bucolic views, big garden and pool