An elegant hotel that feels like a well-kept secret, with charming staff, understated rooms and great restaurants a short walk away

A peaceful old ivy-clad mill with a beautiful terrace overlooking the water, sculpture-filled gardens, comfortable bedrooms and hearty food

Come for a big gathering of friends or family and take the whole house plus an extra cottage in the pretty gardens – swim in the pool, relax

Lovely old house with award-winning restaurant and indoor swimming pool. Sleeps up to 18 so just the ticket for a big family gathering

Something to astound at every turn where the traditional and downright quirky collide to stunning effect. Friendly, flexible hosts too

Ease through a beautiful wrought iron gate to a courtyard and an elegant 1700s creamy stone holiday house, part of the château estate

An old stone farmhouse with plenty of room for a large group, a terrace with hot tub and lawns and access to a shared pool and tennis court

This is Somerset at its most quintessential: a thatched roofed, honey-coloured Hamstone cottage with a pretty courtyard garden; sleeps four

Comfortable, understated, spotless and authentic – a modest family hideaway on Brittany’s stunning Crozon Peninsula (think Land’s End...)

Stylish interiors, beautiful rooms, lovely staff and wonderful food – all this in the Forest of Dean with great walking and cycling trails

A swishly renovated detached hideaway up a hill, surrounded by vineyards and with a covered deck for sweeping views just outside Beaune

Beautifully designed timber cabins in the Black Mountains, right next to a lovely old inn serving good, honest food from their own farm

Gardeners will be very happy staying in this generous, comfortable B&B surrounded by stunning gardens with year-round interest

Flop in a hammock and be lulled by Mediterranean scents and breezes, relax in an ancient Trullo – come here for raw beauty not for frills

Find beauty and tranquillity on this historic Dordogne estate for up to fourteen - plus a feast of designer colour and a fine pool to share

Elegant country château with a family feel, for big groups with or without children, and those who seek inspiration

Hike the Wild Boar Fells, get cosy at home with books, games and DVDs, and meet the farm’s hens, cows and sheep

A restful space with a pretty garden in a quiet Derbyshire village - the pub a short stroll away and Chatsworth near