Lovely old house with award-winning restaurant and indoor swimming pool. Sleeps up to 18 so just the ticket for a big family gathering

Technically in Florence yet immersed in the Tuscan hills: easy comfort, country character, warm wonderful hosts, heavenly views

In château parkland, 10 minutes from Chinon, find books, beams and open spaces for three renovated houses, a delight for families

Beautifully connected, engagingly old-fashioned London pad, with a garden. Head out for Vauxhall Park, the Tate, Westminster...

You have your own entrance to a private wing with a garden and an elegant sitting room. Bedrooms are beautiful and breakfast scrumptious

A cool converted barn on an organic farm near Brittany’s loveliest beaches, with a kitchen garden and play area, perfect for foodie families

Tucked down an alley off the main road through Midhurst, this well-designed, generous-spirited little house exudes character and quirk

This famous old country house might not come cheap, but where else can you splash out in such decadent style for life’s big celebrations?

A tranquil cabin for two in rural countryside near arty Totnes: there are walks from the door and all of Devon is yours to explore

Escape your cares here, move from terrace to terrace tracking the sun's progress and dive into the sea from your own swimming platform

A clutch of airy properties, most with their own jasmine-scented terraces arranged around a funky pool

Airy interiors, good local food and a blissful rural setting for this refurbished inn, popular with locals and with a happy, bustling vibe

A very comfortable and attractive 1820 gate lodge surrounded by mature trees on a family estate, in gently rolling countryside

The farm is up its own track with wake-up Cheviot views over pine forests and fields of sheep. Luxurious bedrooms, large airy living space

A scrupulously renovated dog-friendly gate lodge with garden and outdoor dining area, a five-minute drive from Mount Congreve Gardens

Charming trulli apartments promise rustic comfort and panoramic views (horses too). Perfectly placed for exploring the area

A peaceful, very stylish bolthole for 2 on the doorstep of glorious Holyrood Park, with Edinburgh’s sights a stroll away