Great staff, beautiful design, a fine old building and sublime food make this 600-year-old inn a perfect escape all year round

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

Come for the rural charm of this cottage. Green as far as the eye can see, near a village surrounded by rivers. Wellies essential

This friendly, Scottish island B&B has the Atlantic at the end of the garden and air so clean the lichen grows like beards from the trees

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

Two duplex apartments filled with art and sculptures inside a beautiful 18th-century orangery, minutes from magnificent Versailles

A tranquil and tucked-away feel for this terraced cottage with private patio, communal garden and plenty of room for six

If you need a great place in which to relax and don’t want to pay too much for it, try these excellent suites, which spoil you all the way

Like staying in a family home, only with Henri III furniture and rolling green views. Energetic hosts cook, farm, hunt, chat over champagne

High-up, simple apartments, pools with fabulous views; kids play-things and donkeys, the glittering coast, Rapallo and Portofino down below

A taste of old Italy in this off-the-beaten-track rustic house on three levels, exquisitely restored and with elegant designer furnishings

Steeped in history and romance, with a great big sleigh bed and open fires, is this 14th-century defence tower above the river Tweed

Three charming rustic lodges with private gardens and a laid-back vibe in a small rural hamlet surrounded by vines and truffle orchards

Follow in Picasso’s footsteps and spin up to vibrant Sheffield for a night at this stunning hotel, where flawless bedrooms wait

Full of country-hideaway chic, this special holiday home is in one of the loveliest parts of the Var, surrounded by 10 private acres

Hilltop château on the edge of a small village half an hour from Saint-Émilion, with a lovely garden, a swimming pool and two lakes

A spiritual, rustic retreat for nature-lovers, writers, artists. In protected woodland, well away from bustle, close to the lapping river