A charming hotel in a quiet neighbourhood in medieval Bologna, just the ticket for a city escape filled with food, history and culture

Converted stables in the grounds of a manor house in a peaceful village just outside Banbury with lovely walking in the Cherwell Valley

This small hotel with pool has elegant communal spaces, spoiling bedrooms, kind staff, delicious food and panoramic mountain views

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

Come for breezy bedrooms, pretty gardens, a serene pool and delicious breakfasts at this gorgeous finca in rural Extremadura near Trujillo

Homely furnishings and 17th-century charm at this estate on the Severn, whose owners are mad about horses and give you fine home produce

After trekking Offa's Dyke, return to a cosy wood-burner stocked with logs and a sumptuous bed - you'll love this country retreat for two

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

A converted coach house and stables, now one long cottage with much space, a country house feel and your own walled garden

A fabulous party spot with an outdoor covered eating area, a wood with fairy lights, fire pit, dark skies - and much comfort indoors

Wild beauty and hundreds of birds on the shore of a freshwater lake. Frank and Daniella look after you in a homely, fuss free way

Snug, simple and delightful casitas with private entrances and courtyards interlink for groups. Stroll through the olives, bask by the pool

A 18th-century house with pool in a small town with friendly owners and a tropical garden of banana, fig and, of course, frangipani

Swing off the main road through the village, up into the hills along a narrow track and through a gate, observed by curious sheep

Dreamy, languid beauty at this spacious, airy, arty house with garden and pool in typical Pugliese countryside

Award-winning Aga-cooked breakfasts, scented candles, gorgeous beds... Come for a break from clock-watching and a spot of Shropshire air

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

Come to discover the ancient history of Dornes in a spectacular riverside setting - one point of the famous 'Templar Triangle' of Portugal