Colourful coastal apartments and studios where you can be nicely independent, and enjoy a communal café and health club with Art Deco pool

5 houses near Siena to make design-lovers happy; come for the rural solitude of ancient stone farm buildings with urban interiors

A scrupulously renovated dog-friendly gate lodge with garden and outdoor dining area, a five-minute drive from Mount Congreve Gardens

Small country hotel in a riverside setting near Giverny, with a superb restaurant and a charming village a few minutes’ walk away

Come for summer breakfasts of pastries fresh from the local bakery, afternoons reading by the pool and long, lazy lunches

Dine wonderfully on farm-fresh food and grandma's recipes; cookery classes too! And views, a pool, farm animals, sunsets, a warm family...

Heart-warming B&B with hosts who are endlessly thoughtful. The food is exotic, organic, delicious and families are made very welcome

Magical for nature lovers, with wraparound views to the coastline of Skye. Inside: warmth, luxury and not a whisper from the wildest gale

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

A B&B in a WWF-protected botanical garden beside Lake Maggiore. Wander and explore, take a dip in the lake. This place invites you to unwind

Come down to the Meon Valley and be (very gently) nudged towards a better way of living - a Sawday's Community Champion

A stunner of a setting for this restored croft house with long views to a sparkling loch and a lively village nearby. Good beaches too

Spacious house with a big garden, a swimming pool and all home comforts; the beach and good restaurants are less than 10 minutes away

Remote off-grid cottage 1400 feet above sea level in Northumberland National Park, with incredible night skies

Rooms in the house overlook the vineyard, the lodges are surrounded by it - check out the vines, then drink their wine with a good dinner

Explore country markets, churches and châteaux - return to a gite in private parkland with an artist's studio on site, and a blissful pool

Historic wartime fields, now prime walking country, ring this pub with rooms - come for hearty food, cosy corners and a proper pint

Classic-modern luxury, a charming young hostess and a peaceful setting – perfect for breakfast-lovers, wine buffs and all the family