Kate makes you feel at home the moment you enter her great big beloved house - full of books, guitars and a piano, antiques and huge spaces

A thatched farmhouse only just over the channel near Rouen that’s well hidden in lush gardens, but worth finding for the gourmet food alone

An historic, moated manor house dating from the 16th-century, fully restored and with all mod cons, including an indoor heated pool

A small, family-run boutique hotel sitting right at the foot of Etna with wonderful views, garden, pool and ambrosial Sicilian breakfasts

Philippe and Stéphanie give you delicious food and comfortable, colourful bedrooms in their ancient château with gardens and pool

Cast yourselves away to this beautiful island and a bright, spacious apartment with a rooftop terrace bang in the middle of the town square

A cosy and relaxing village inn in the heart of the unspoilt Ebble Valley (wonderful for walkers) with fresh bedrooms and excellent food

A friendly rural town pub with smart rooms, locally inspired menus and Cheshire and north Wales to explore – bring the dog too

A house on a hill (El Nido means The Nest) built in the Moorish style surrounded by sea views and the green hills of the Granada coastline

Pops of colour and neon signs bring fun to this smart and warm family home near Brancaster beach

Lively renovation for this 18th-century cottage built of local stone and with a large garden in Modbury. Totnes and sandy beaches are close

A wonderful watery setting for a super family hotel. White sands and sunsets, waddling ducks, breakfasts to relish …

Groups will love this 18th-century winemaster’s house and tower. There’s a hillside infinity pool, valley views and a private boulodrome

A stone built 18th-century tower in a pretty valley dotted with fruit trees for quiet and relaxed days recuperating from life in the city

There's a pared-back unforced elegance to this stone barn sitting quietly in its own grounds beside a cobbled courtyard awash with roses

Swings, a terrace and pool in 2 acres ringed by fields and tranquility, and lakes and vineyards beyond. Family bliss in Quercy

A charming nook for two in pretty Barrington village with a foodie pub mere steps away and Somerset at your feet

Tucked at the bottom of a long track and surrounded by a gorgeous natural landscape, is this generous end-slice of a 17th-century stone farm