Italian style marries Californian comfort, with views over hilltop towns, vineyards and the majestic Sibillini mountains beyond

Glorious boutique hotel on the Sorrento Peninsula with Michelin-starred restaurant and superb cellar to explore

Charming half-timbered house at the start of the Alsace wine route, with spacious rooms, tempting breakfast and a swimming pool

Near lively Lyon, this handsome family house is perfect for a Zen-like escape with delicious vegetarian meals and well-travelled hosts

Traditional B&B in a beautiful château bursting with history and surrounded by formal gardens, then farmland and two fine rivers

One of England's oldest coaching inns, full of history and wonky floors, on a Surrey market town's high street

Beautifully restored historical building in the heart of Vichy with a fabulous pool and spa, just steps away from the famous Opera House

A lovely 19th-century stone mas with south-facing terrace, garden and pool for relaxed family holidays, just off the D99 in a small hamlet

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

Come for the utter peace and quiet in this cosy cottage with amazing views and private walks to explore on the Bodnant Estate

A hammock by the pool, dinner under the stars, Andalucian nature (wild boar, birds, olives) all around. Chatty English hosts charm all

Your own cottage on a wine estate in a very beautiful part of the South Downs, famed for world-class sparkling wines

A handsome Georgian townhouse pub in Newbury, with a name steeped in local lore and Donnington Castle just up the road

Proper village pub with much-praised food and cosy rooms; country walks lead from the door and Oxford is half an hour away

Family-run B&B in traditional trulli with hands-on hosts. Swim in the pool, explore the countryside, the coast is half an hour’s drive away

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

Very relaxed B&B at this 17th-century country house just 5 minutes from the perched village of St-Paul-de-Vence and 10 from the sea

A fortified castle in parkland, built mostly in the 1300s on the Montbazens plateau, near to the stunning Averyon gorges