A fabulous country boozer, revamped in style with a buzzy atmosphere, great food and welcoming bedrooms - good walking countryside too

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

Escape to your own barn. Brimming with beams and natural colours - surrounded by peaceful lavender-filled gardens and corn fields

Gloriously green rural self-catering apartments with pool and lovely, friendly owners

Spread out in much style with friends or family in a beautifully renovated Victorian farmhouse at the foot of the Howgill fells

Traditional house with a contemporary and imaginative interior; stroll to shops and restaurants, jump in the car to explore Provence

A 200-year-old village house surrounded by vineyards. Light-filled interiors, lots of art, a garden and your own sparkling pool

Good bolthole with two terraces offering spectacular views over the historic town, and restaurants and bars a short stroll

Attractive country barn - great for two families sharing, for river trips, for playing in the pool, for running free

An ancient farmhouse transformed into a peaceful place to stay with lovely gardens, a swimming pool and delicious organic food

A delightfully Lilliputian Georgian cottage with all mod cons at the end of a terrace just a short walk to shops, cafés and the beach

A very special design-led garden apartment on the ground floor of an elegant 1835 house on one of the prettiest crescents in the city

Float in the infinity pool above the canyon, dine under the stars, revel in the silence, head to the Cavagrande di Cassibile Nature Reserve

A medieval monastery, stunningly revived, in untouristy, car-free Pisciotta. Sip greco on the terrace; scramble through olives to the sea

Simple country cottage living on a working organic farm. Bring your hiking boots or bikes, stride out from the door

A sustainably run 1902 farmhouse and its converted cattle shed in countryside close to a wonderfully wild stretch of the North Devon coast

Lodge and gardens – superbly designed, immaculate, fresh, eco friendly – rest in unspoilt Picardy. Anglo-French hosts take turns to cook

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