You’ll feel nicely independent in this spacious open-plan hideaway surrounded by colourful gardens and Corscombe valley views

Great for comfort, beauty, character and home baking. Borrow vintage bikes to explore Cambridge: Christine knows it inside out

Come for windswept beauty, wonderful sea views and swims, hearty walks and good vegetarian food at this island hideaway and spa

A 15th-century Venetian palazzo, lovingly restored with stylish rooms overlooking the Grand Canal and a designer's insight into the city

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

Small and elegant family-run hotel with airy bedrooms, plenty of private spaces and a bus to take you to the centre of bustling Avignon

Two homely gîtes sleeping 4 and 2 in rural farm country. Walk to the bakery; drive 15 minutes to Saint-Malo and riverside restaurants

Manor house in the grounds of a quintessential 18th-century French château with pretty gardens and lots of space just 3kms from Bayeux

Immaculate Cotswold beauty with great food, welcoming staff, handsome rooms and a sun-trap terrace, plus countryside walks from the door

A smart riverside inn with airy interiors that brim with character – old beams, open fires, well-kept ales and comfy bedrooms

Be inspired by hilltop views, unwind in beamed rooms by huge fireplaces or scramble down to the beach for family adventures

Blissful tranquillity - yet an easy drive from St Paul de Vence (legendary haunt of Matisse and Picasso) and 10km from the Riviera

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

Tea in the summerhouse, breakfast by the fire, fresh flowers all around this warm family home. Step out to historic Shrewsbury high street

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

In an outstanding area for lovers of food and wine, here are 3 beautiful boltholes in the Alto Douro, the oldest wine region in the world

Take breakfast on the terrace, splash in the fabulous pool. A secluded, friendly, immaculate villa close to golf and surfing beaches

Escape to the heart of the Haute-Savoie and this impressive château near Annecy, Mont Blanc and Lake Geneva