After a day touring châteaux, return to this pretty, very comfortable cottage with private terrace and a garden filled with birdsong

Friendly hosts, lovely log fires, delicious dinners, interesting antiques – and Frederick’s special tours of a WWI memorial site

You're overlooking the main square in medieval Umbertide from this cosy, second-floor apartment, so you'll feel very much like a local

Beautiful light-filled eco-homes in Loch Lomond National Park – Scotland’s treasures are easily reached from here

On a sleepy hillside near Noto, the peace is profound at this country estate set in a modern property with a spa, gym and generous suites

A delight to stay in this 1880s croft house on the quieter west coast - fabulous vegetarian and vegan food, thoughtful rooms, lovely owners

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

A cosy cottage on a farm down a long winding track, wonderfully rural with footpaths across fields or along the canal

Gorgeous old pile in five acres of blissful country between the Dales and the Lakes - it’s super relaxed and perfect for everybody

A rustic haven in Vouvray wine country: bask on sun beds near the elegant pool, cosy up to the wood-burner, relax in your beautiful bedroom

A romantic and very comfortable retreat in a smartly converted dairy with a pretty garden, close to the South Downs

Rural French heaven at this lovely farm within four hectares. Natural materials, neutral colours and a lavender-lined pool all to yourselves

A warm retreat in a charming Sussex backwater, with a changing menu of fabulous food, and well-furbished bedrooms upstairs

A lovely villa in the Sóller valley close to stunning beaches, secret coves and a dramatic mountain range. Mallorca never fails to seduce

This small hotel with pool has elegant communal spaces, spoiling bedrooms, kind staff, delicious food and panoramic mountain views

Submerge yourself in a magical landscape of sky, water and hills from this well-thought-out retreat, where silence reigns and peace is deep

An 18th-century townhouse restored with flair by former restauranteurs: come for colour, comfort and sublime dining

A seaside inn on Babbacombe Bay with views of sea and sky, rooms to feel happy in, a spa and homely, hearty dining