Great for comfort, beauty, character and home baking. Borrow vintage bikes to explore Cambridge: Christine knows it inside out

Secluded stone farmhouse, fragrant gardens, a natural pool, and winding forest paths – the perfect off-grid Tuscan escape

Marvellously quirky bolthole right on Lyme Regis seafront with stunning views; perfect for beach combers and boutique browsers

Bags of character within and without at this four-storey village house with rooftop views over the mountains, next to a 12th-century church

5 minutes from the Vatican in a tall palazzo above the British school. Owners share local tips, serve bakery-fresh breakfasts on the terrace

Independence at one end of the house with your own sitting room opening onto a courtyard garden. Good pub for food a few minutes' walk away

Three spacious manor apartments with views for big gatherings of family or friends. Walk to the beach or the pub, play tennis and croquet

An elegantly renovated coaching inn with inspired design, beautifully simple pub food, tempting ales and gloriously comfortable bedrooms

Everything you need is here: a wood-burner for winter, a pool and spacious terraces for summer, and peace and beauty all year round

With a sauna in the woods and a Nordic bath by the lake, these carefully renovated farm buildings are a lovely slow-living retreat

An irresistible eco restaurant-hotel of character and charm, run by two friendly families and set in gorgeous grounds. Foodie heaven

Come for very comfortable B&B suites with garden views in a converted 1880s barn with its own charming sitting and dining rooms

Historic, eco-friendly elegance, views over Etna and Naxos Bay, jasmine-scented gardens... and a charming family feel. Stroll into Taormina

A cosy and relaxing village inn in the heart of the unspoilt Ebble Valley (wonderful for walkers) with fresh bedrooms and excellent food

Come for summer breakfasts of pastries fresh from the local bakery, afternoons reading by the pool and long, lazy lunches

A converted old granary next to a traditional Welsh longhouse in a deeply rural setting for unfussy nature lovers

This stately-looking former manor house set back from the road in acres of gardens serves very good food and has rustic-chic bedrooms

A fine country manor house on the edge of a village, peacefully surrounded by gardens and trees, and close to the D-Day landing beaches