An adorable little 1800s cottage with a garden – simple, unpretentious and filled with the owner's colourful art on walls and lampshades

A welcoming inn with rooms on the edge of a small village. Stay in a converted barn in the pretty garden, eat delicious country fare

Chocolate-box cottages in deepest Normandy, owned by bright young things with a passion for organic cuisine and the good life

A friendly, generous, big old house with not an ounce of pretension. Big families will adore gathering here to have fun and unwind

A renovated barn, part stone, part wood, resembling the tobacco barns of the area with beautiful grounds surrounded by farmland

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?

Stay in the grounds of a 19th-century château turned family home, where 500-year-old oak trees shade a glorious garden

Heaps to do on-site: organic farm shop & café, cookery & cheese-making courses, farm tours. A brilliant base for exploring the Cotswolds too

Peaceful Basque farmhouse turned smart country B&B, only 20 minutes from restaurants and museums in Bilbao and unspoiled sandy beaches

Treat yourselves to a stay on one of the oldest wine estates in Provence and a family house from the 1740s, complete with antiques

Escape to the edge of the Atlantic. Find airy rooms and good food served from terraces overlooking the ocean - all with a green conscience

Artists, poets, nature lovers, walkers and dreamers will be happy in this simple, airy suite surrounded by a fecund garden and much peace

One of four wooden-clad off-grid cottages, sleek and calm indoors, high up in the Cheviot Hills and with stunning views over the valley

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

A small yet elegant place for couples or small groups to enjoy the open countryside, rest, join a cooking course or book a massage

Dine on wholesome farmhouse food, explore the lovely garden or catch up on your sleep in generous king-size beds. Pretty Cadaqués is close

Come for fine food and drink, sumptuous bedrooms and a relaxed, informal atmosphere at this gorgeous Cotswold manor house with ancient roots