A lovely big house with huge riverside gardens and an easy-going charm – a 15-minute walk from bookish Hay-on-Wye

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

A real treat to stay in this elegant 18th-century house with pampering bedrooms, gorgeous home-cooked food and stunning gardens with pool

This is a superb base to explore the island's glittering bays, vibrant coastal cities, mountains, valleys and forests

A pretty cottage by the sea, with uplifting views, restful bedrooms, the beach a short hop, gorgeous walks and lively Kinsale nearby

A bright, light newly built annexe flat adjoining a farmhouse and sitting on a hill looking out over a lake and fields beyond to the village

An attractive, sympathetic barn conversion, full of light, pleasingly uncluttered and hidden down a lane in stunningly beautiful countryside

An old pub with a new lease of life: smart buzzy eatery downstairs and two bright, spacious apartments upstairs - just minutes from the Heath

Step back in time at this wonderfully authentic château, loved deeply by its owners - 25km from Beaune and the Route des Grands Crus

A sprint from London: a Cotswolds pub modernised with sympathy and care. Happy staff, organic ales and food, gorgeous rooms

Unspoilt Coverack has all you need for a fun beach holiday and this terraced fisherman's cottage on the coast path is cosy all year round

A cosy, very comfortable stone cottage with fine views across the valley, just a couple of miles from the southern tip of Ullswater

Take your pick from guided horse-trekking to grand banqueting at this traditional château; drive to explore WWI history and the lovely coast

Between Paris and Rouen, a handsome country house in Monet scenery. Cows graze, bedrooms soothe, friendships bud over bountiful breakfasts

Hospitable Jorge and Clotilde love nothing more than sharing their colourful, chaotic old house with guests. The farm produce is fabulous

A Victorian house on a 5000 acre estate, snazzily renovated and tucked down a track with a private lake, in the quieter part of Cumbria

A cosy bolt hole near medieval Cartmel with woods, meadows and wildlife – great for walkers in this quiet part of the South Lakes

A light and airy barn conversion, very comfortable and rural, sitting on a hill with views to the south overlooking the Stour valley