Authenticity and originality combine at this family chateau with its panelled rooms, theatrical flourishes and charming candlelit dinners

Wend your way down steep paths to Durgan beach, explore the magic of Charles’s wonderful garden and feast on Caroline’s super breakfasts

A sustainably-designed small, family-run eco hotel within a nature park by the sea in stunning Basque country. Great food too

An elegant house with ancient roots and a shimmering pool – explore the Charente countryside, drive to lovely Angoulême

Sustainably built Suffolk retreat with plenty of space for friends and family to properly unwind - a steam room seals the deal

A red-brick cottage and Shepherd’s hut in a magical garden with a cookery school and views over the South Downs

Three lovely places to stay - come for much charm, peace, sunsets, infinity pool, sauna and gym in this history-steeped countryside retreat

Leave the car, everything is walkable & buses are practically free. Visit restaurants, vineyards & markets from your lofty village bolthole

A newly built house facing the sea and surrounded by acres of land – perfect for swimmers, sailors, nature lovers and peace seekers

At the foot of the Cambrian Mountains, an ancient whitewashed cottage with cosy, light-flooded interiors – a perfect rural bolthole for two

A beautiful old building with generous windows, arched doorways and opulent interiors in the glorious countryside by a fairy tale château

Come for an exceptionally inviting 17th-century inn, a chocolate-box Cotswold village, excellent local food and ales, very comfortable rooms

A converted 18th-century chapel in the heart of Bruton with an all-day restaurant, in-house bakery, wine store and south-facing terrace

Creative owners have made a gorgeous, arty space for couples or a small group of friends; good beaches and Salcombe are close

A foodie and friendly reinvigorated old pub, with floor to ceiling estuary views. Bring the dog and hit the coastal path

Treat yourselves to a stay in the gloriously comfortable Astor Wing with private terrace and views to Hever Castle and the Tudor Garden

Your own cottage on a wine estate in a very beautiful part of the South Downs, famed for world-class sparkling wines

An elegant, super central bolthole for two (or three): stroll everywhere, hop on a vaporetto, sit in piazzas drinking cappuccino, live like a local