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

Big house with bags of character and easy access to beaches, cafés and cobbled streets, coastal paths and hidden coves

Luxurious living combines with bleating sheep and bells from the church next door - 4 fabulous retreats on the Cotentin Peninsula

Soak up Provençal peace in a charming estate in the Alpilles, with stylish ground-floor B&B rooms, olives, vines and a friendly family dog

Historic old house in a beautiful, traditional village. Boulangerie, bar, crêperie all a stroll away

Comfortable Clifton home a hop from shops, restaurants, harbour ferry and the heart of Bristol. With easy-going hosts and great breakfasts

A Victorian farm steading cleverly repurposed as an open-plan holiday home with bright, colourful interiors, deep in the Perthshire hills

A magical medieval castello, gloriously gothic with tower, moat and ghost, fit for a Shakespearian play.

Rustic farmhouse with two and a half acres of landscaped gardens, a swimming pool and views over the Pyrenees – the sunrises are amazing

A very special renovation of a 12th-century convent, now an elegant, tranquil place to stay with beautiful, bird-filled gardens

Historic village inn with wonderful cooking and a Provençal-style courtyard garden; drive to the Jurassic Coast in half an hour

Sumptuous bedrooms and delicious breakfasts at these two magnificent wings in glorious gardens and grounds next to the castle

Fringing Tuscany countryside and fun Montone, an authentic Umbrian mansion with Slow Food, lavender fields, apartments and pool. Pure Italy

A confident style for this mid-19th-century house, with a Mediterranean garden, elegant terrace and pool, a stroll from the historic centre

Bright, cosy cottage off the beaten track between the South Hams and Dartmoor, with good pubs nearby and an en suite ground-floor bedroom

In a Valencian resort, a captivating and hospitable place - deal for groups of family or friends too, with independence plus B&B service

Gracious Florentine hospitality, elegance and comfort, gazebo breakfasts, a flower-filled garden with pool and views of olive groves

A cottage in a conservation village with logs in the burner, sloe gin on the table, and a good dining pub you can walk to