In an outstanding area for lovers of food and wine, here are 3 beautiful boltholes in the Alto Douro, the oldest wine region in the world

A harmonious B&B in Chinon wine country. Home-cooked food, comfortable beds, easy conservations with your host and starry skies at night

Escape to your own barn. Brimming with beams and natural colours - surrounded by peaceful lavender-filled gardens and corn fields

Stylish bedrooms, scrumptious fish menu. Fill your boots (and pack your wellies) at this village gem in Derbyshire's lovely crown

Adorable cottages in pastoral peace with views to Wimborne Minster; cook and eat in modern kitchens. Blue flag beaches are close

An eye-catching ancient inn with a colourful flower garden in summer, delicious local food and very presentable bedrooms

An eco renovation of an 1800s gamekeepers cottage, now a charming place for couples or families to immerse themselves in nature

A truly cosy cottage in a superb setting for happy holidays, with dogs welcome, beaches nearby and wonderful walking all around

Outside a perfect bastide village, an elegant manoir for lazy days in the Dordogne, fabulous dinners and glorious gardens

Steam in the hot tub, gaze over crashing waves or later stars. Inside is swish, kids play in their games room, dinner is in view of the sea

Escape to this boutique B&B in West Sussex. Long beaches, Goodwood races, Chichester theatres, woodland walks all nearby

This shuttered, stone maison in Gascony on the Santiago de Compostela pilgrims' route is a joy for families to spend time together

Thatched cottage perfect for families; surfing at Croyde, walks on Exmoor, sunny barbecues in the garden and cosying up by the wood-burner

Get the full-English bucolic countryside experience at this boutique inn right in the heart of a quintessentially pretty Cotswold village

A large cottage by the walled garden on a peaceful estate with oodles of space for big gatherings and views over a lake and mature trees

Come to be inspired - by the buildings, the art, the concept and the rich history. You should be very comfortable too, and well fed

A smart red-brick country pub in the centre of the village with a farm shop, brewery, Wellness Barn, super food and three charming bedrooms

A dramatic transformation of an old shepherd's cottage deep on a remote hillside in Perthshire farmland with masses of space and light