A luxurious springboard for the wineries, villages and treasures of south Tuscany in the magical Orcia valley - if you can bear to leave it!

An 18th-century beamed inn with tasty food, pretty bedrooms and a large garden just a ten-minute drive from Chichester

Comfortable home with wood fires, gracious bedrooms and convivial living rooms. The drive is full of blossom and daffodils in spring

Steps from the sea in get-away-from-it-all scenery – half an hour’s walk from St Ives’ arty heart. Sleeps 4 with pull-out beds for 2 more

What do you do with a down-at-heel roadside inn? You get Mhor to come and turn it into a quirky base with their funky style and lovely food

A very peaceful, family-run hotel on the shores of Lake Garda with rose and jasmine-scented gardens for summer dinners by candlelight

A contemporary country-house hotel with a lovely spa and peaceful gardens - Sandringham and the north Norfolk coast are close

Three comfortable stone houses clustered around the owners' home. Glorious views spread out below you across rolling countryside

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

An upmarket, very comfortable old stone village house with tasty breakfasts and a sunny courtyard full of colourful flowers

Chatty Madame is a superb cook, and her pretty house and garden in a quiet Yvelines village are equally delicious. Zip to Paris by train

A place of peace in the hills and a view-filled base for exploring by bike or for experiencing Reiki, meditation, yoga and more

Simple and rustic, this early 1700s farmhouse has warmth and charm, surrounded by countryside in the Perche

Deliciously comfortable, hospitable, boutique B&B - in a secluded village within easy reach of Reims and the vineyards of Champagne

Come to the wild Cévennes to hike, ride, kayak down the Hérault river – or just revel in your pretty, generous house, pool and garden space

Inside, a grand cathedral ceiling, outside, wisteria-covered terrace and pretty pool. Atlantic sands, Cognac and La Rochelle are in reach

This hidden valley is the dreamiest part of South Devon. Catch the ferry across the Dart; gaze on the hills; snuggle up by the wood-burner

A smartly refurbished village pub with its own micro-brewery and a huge emphasis on cooking great food from a network of local suppliers