Sun-soaked stillness, saltwater dips and garden scents of fig and rosemary - slow days unfold between olive trees and a sky full of stars

A smartly refurbished 500-year-old coaching inn with very comfortable bedrooms, good food and the Peak District at your feet

Gracious hosts, a mix of 17th-century style and contemporary design with comfort in spades, just minutes from the Rialto Bridge and market

Magical for nature lovers, with wraparound views to the coastline of Skye. Inside: warmth, luxury and not a whisper from the wildest gale

Come for peace, art, photography and go out for delicious food near Galicia’s ‘seafood coast’. One of Spain’s undiscovered gems

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

Find beauty and tranquillity on this historic Dordogne estate for up to fourteen - plus a feast of designer colour and a fine pool to share

Feel at ease in a lovely old townhouse filled with pictures and personality and including a separate loft apartment

Cross an ancient stone bridge to a 1790s estate cottage, completely on its own down a little-used green lane and with the river rushing by

Stay just two kilometres from Siena's medieval gates with views over vineyards, lovely interiors, good food and pleasant gardens

A very special design-led garden apartment on the ground floor of an elegant 1835 house on one of the prettiest crescents in the city

Your hosts couldn’t be nicer and look after you beautifully – this is a lovely, homely place with a rambling garden

Rooms in an old palazzo in the historic centre of town, with a swimming pool, restaurant and café, and lovely beaches a short drive away

In the National Park with all its glories (Ashbourne for antiques, Chatsworth for history, Bakewell for its market), a sweet village cottage

From the delicious scented garden with its limestone pool to the cool rooms with perfect linen, this is a place for a special occasion

There's a pared-back unforced elegance to this stone barn sitting quietly in its own grounds beside a cobbled courtyard awash with roses

Contemporary boathouse for all the family. Find rock pools, a shingle beach and plenty of ozone in the salty Cornish air

Drink a toast to your good fortune as you gaze across to Elba from a vast free-standing bath. You breakfast on the view-filled terrace