Breathtaking views, coastal walks, wildflowers and pretty beaches. Return to a garden with a tropical feel, helpful hosts and sunny rooms

A cracking English inn with open fires, great food, gorgeous rooms, happy staff, lovely gardens and well-kept English ales

Come for strawberries in summer, walnuts in winter, and a wonderful welcome all year round. Thierry and Charlotte are living their dream

An enviable hideaway on a cobbled street high on a hill, with stunning views next to Galileo's house, the Villa Bardini and gardens

What a surprise! Tucked into a row of tightly woven old cottages is this contemporary open-plan hideaway with huge windows and much flair

Once a shooting lodge, this stand-alone big building was part of a medieval estate and you can still see the grassy mount and dungeon tower

Log fires smoulder, rooms are comfortable, the food is delicious and there's bags of character at this old village pub – once a cider house

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

Between Florence and Siena, stay in one of five stylish apartments on a family-run agriturismo; they delight in sharing this slice of heaven

A peaceful, harmonious house with roots in the 14th century, a glorious enclosed pool area and a huge amount of space for happy gatherings

A perfectly romantic and gorgeously restored bothy in a garden on a hillside by the sea, with grand views over the mountains of Skye

Play boules in the garden, swim in the natural pool and enjoy Monica’s wonderful cooking served with local wines at this village farmhouse

Rustic charm and homely hospitality – this 12th-century hideaway in a medieval village is perfect for slow days, wine and wandering

A lodge and a cottage on an ancient wine estate, thoughtfully and eco-consciously converted with private outdoor spaces and a saltwater pool

Come to stay in a lovely old house surrounded by an important garden created by three generations of brilliant women gardeners

A renovated barn, part stone, part wood, resembling the tobacco barns of the area with beautiful grounds surrounded by farmland

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

A wonderfully maintained Grade II listed country house in the Brecon Beacons with extensive gardens and panoramic views of the Usk Valley