Beautiful, and with a delightfully rambling garden, this early 16th-century manor has bags of room for happy days with family or friends

Stay in the very first holiday let in the history of this lovely little hamlet of nine houses, with a superb sailing club and a decent pub

A cracking English inn with open fires, great food, gorgeous rooms, happy staff, lovely gardens and well-kept English ales

20 minutes’ walk from Gordes and a hop from Aix, find grownup peace and minimalism for lovers of modern style and timeless Provence

Come to stay in a lovely old house surrounded by an important garden created by three generations of brilliant women gardeners

An oh-so-special B&B in Palermo's ancient heart. This city at the edge of Europe, with its Arab-Norman-Byzantine heritage, is fascinating

Homely furnishings and 17th-century charm at this estate on the Severn, whose owners are mad about horses and give you fine home produce

Once a coach house, now a split-level place to stay – you can walk to the river and it's just a short hop to central London

A country house, elegant and unstuffy, at the heart of a working Lazio olive farm. Lunch by the pool or unwind at the hot spring spa

A magical chateau set in the forested hills of Burgundy with lovely rooms, peaceful walks, home cooking and a merry welcome

Exceptional generosity reigns at this complex of 5 excellent, colourful holiday apartments, with pool and meals, on the Sorrento Peninsula

Two villas on opposite shores of a big lily-covered lake, fed with natural spring water from the Ticino river and surrounded by gardens

Burrowed into the olive groves of the lush Valle d’Itria, a restored masseria with five trulli, an indoor and outdoor pool, hot tub and lovely views

A period manor and pretty rooms in old stables: a quiet base for Pas-de-Calais and Picardie. Madame loves the house, animals, story-telling

Deep luxury, superb service and a wealth of delightful things to admire at this small hotel on a very quiet street in the heart of the city

An elegant solution to a hotel - no rooms, but 13 charming villas in the heart of the maquis, nearly all with a private pool

Friendly inn in the middle of Sedbergh. Lots of bedrooms to choose from, suntrap picnic area, walks in the Yorkshire Dales on the doorstep