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

Stay a while... lulled by lapping sea and fragrant hanging gardens - cool, light, balconied, classic, intimate, unpretentious

High on a hill in the Tyne Valley, undisturbed except by birds singing and the wind whistling; views swoop down to a magical landscape

Fresh, inviting bedrooms with leafy garden views and a pretty church next door. Moffat's spectacular Grey Mare's Tail waterfall nearby

A stunning château with huge rooms, pretty balconies with views, peaceful garden. Super owners, excellent dinners - and child-friendly too

A lovely villa with masses of space, filled with modern art and near to walking trails, beaches, shops and restaurants

A thatched farmhouse only just over the channel near Rouen that’s well hidden in lush gardens, but worth finding for the gourmet food alone

A hideaway for two on an old farm, gifted to The National Trust for Jersey, with a pretty walled garden and circled by verdant countryside

A little gem tucked on a rural Northumbrian estate with other cottages. The rugged coast and lovely Alnwick make for super day trips

A timbered, fire-warmed village farmhouse, home-grown dinners, delightfully French hosts. Deliciously authentic, generous and calm

Four family-friendly self-catering casitas and an original cortijo in wildlife-rich acres near the sandy Costa de la Luz

Colourful coastal apartments and studios where you can be nicely independent, and enjoy a communal café and health club with Art Deco pool

Artistic souls will like it here, and those who enjoy shared meals & getting to know other people in dramatic countryside; Arezzo is 40 km

A lovely, rambling old house for family gatherings with an extra cottage for bigger groups, a gorgeous garden and hilltop villages nearby

Serene, panoramic views from picture windows at this off-grid romantic bolthole in the hills with a cosy wood-burner and local treats

A beautifully-restored Devon bank barn at the end of a quiet lane in the glorious South Hams, just right for a couple or small family

There's a lovely welcome at this manoir near the sea with its family-friendly room arrangements (cottages, kitchens) and its outdoor pool

Float in the infinity pool above the canyon, dine under the stars, revel in the silence, head to the Cavagrande di Cassibile Nature Reserve