Converted barn with the most welcoming owners – the garden and pool are all yours; explore a less touristy part of the Dordogne

Come to be doused in nature, tradition and rare Vino Santo at this soulful retreat, girded by orchards between the Dolomites and Lake Garda

Luxuriate in style at this central Lecce palazzo with gorgeous rooms, delicious breakfasts (lunch & dinner by arrangement). Walk everywhere

Wow. The sort of place you long for on dreary days - inspired architecture, heavenly views, delicious home-cooked food, a lake for swimming

A big friendly farmhouse basking in light, with terraces, vineyards, pool and views to several horizons, good for family gatherings

Rooms are good value, breakfast is taken overlooking the garden and there's superb veggie food next door - a Sawday's Community Champion

An 18th-century beamed inn with tasty food, pretty bedrooms and a large garden just a ten-minute drive from Chichester

A charming white-washed house with a pool & lovely hillside views from the terrace: sleep out here under a star-studded sky on warm evenings

A former tobacco barn and an annexe with outdoor kitchen and courtyard, near good places to eat for relaxed days at the beach

A tucked-away and peaceful retreat from which to explore the beautiful Dordogne or simply to unwind and recharge

Come for amazing food at breakfast, really comfortable bedrooms with garden views and lovely Sasha (and her dogs) who will spoil you

A rare treat to find such a comfortable and cosy, dog-friendly place in exceptionally wildlife-friendly and sustainably managed grounds

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

Former blacksmith’s workshop in a chocolate-box corner of the New Forest, where clematis climbs the trellis and all you hear are the birds

A treat to stay in one half of this unique Grade I listed arch sitting at the estate entrance, just a short walk from the Beckford Arms

Enjoy fields of lavender and vines as far as the eye can see from this neat cottage, sharing a pool and gorgeous gardens with other guests

Close to Saint-Jean-d'Angély, an elegant and spacious manor house with unfussy, comfortable interiors, bucolic views, big garden and pool