Gracious Florentine hospitality, elegance and comfort, gazebo breakfasts, a flower-filled garden with pool and views of olive groves

Creative owners have made a gorgeous, arty space for couples or a small group of friends; good beaches and Salcombe are close

A seamless blend of ancient and modern in this architect-designed villa with infinity pool and veranda for admiring the wonderful views

An 18th-century limestone barn, now a quiet hideaway for a group of friends or family in a very rural spot surrounded by fields and woods

A warm, gracious townhouse in a small town, run by delightful new hosts. Explore chateaux, canoe on the Loire... cycle to Angers!

Elegant house deep in the countryside with wild garden, dreamy pool, and bags of vintage charm. A promise of peace and perfect solitude

This is Somerset at its most quintessential: a thatched roofed, honey-coloured Hamstone cottage with a pretty courtyard garden; sleeps four

A peaceful cottage for 2-4 between the Dales and the Moors, with swallows in the barn, an idyllic village, and a garden to explore

A romantic and very comfortable retreat in a smartly converted dairy with a pretty garden, close to the South Downs

A warm and convivial place steeped in French history with an interesting, kind host who really looks after you. Under an hour from Paris too

An elegant house with ancient roots and a shimmering pool – explore the Charente countryside, drive to lovely Angoulême

A very pretty Victorian gothic house of limestone and brick, sitting peacefully on the edge of the village, eight miles from foodie Ludlow

Generous apartments in a 300-year-old farmhouse with beautiful grounds and a swimming pool

Walk, ride, bike or canoe, climb a mountain, head for Hay, then return to a comfortable bar, warm bedrooms and delicious food

Walkers, bikers, families and nature fans will love staying with ever-helpful Joan and Montse in this secluded but not too remote valley

Stay just minutes from the sea in colourful Donaghadee for wild swims, island visits, bird watching and coastal walks

A serene restaurant-hotel on Chesil beach, with a perfect view of the big blue sea. How restorative can a hotel be?

Glorious Elizabethan manor house lovingly furnished with exceptional art and antiques by its welcoming owners