A truly peaceful and charming hideout in a joyful, bird-filled setting - look after yourselves and retreat, or be thoroughly spoiled

A rare treat, 700 metres above sea level and girdled by forests, waterfalls, chestnuts and olives, this is the place to come for solace

Food grown, foraged and prepared with care, a carefully curated wine list, roaring fires and very comfortable bedrooms to sink into

A special little house, renovated with huge style, filled with beautiful objects and with a delightfully quiet and secluded private garden

Peaceful, traditional country house just 2 miles from central Dorking. Relaxed hosts, good food, beautiful gardens, walks galore - a retreat

Feel very private in this light and bright B&B room with your own patio and pleasing views over garden and countryside

A cosy cottage on a farm down a long winding track, wonderfully rural with footpaths across fields or along the canal

A very pretty old coach house in a south London garden – perfect for a couple or a family. Friendly owners live across the courtyard

Something to astound at every turn where the traditional and downright quirky collide to stunning effect. Friendly, flexible hosts too

Art-filled and atmospheric, with stunning sea views and a sunny walled garden. Just moments from the beaches and charms of Lyme Regis

Bright and spacious barn for two and a baby on the South Downs Way, close to Brighton and the coast

Between Penzance and Helston and close to sandy beaches is a sweet space for four. Good for young families and all garden lovers

A niftily converted barn with high vaulted ceiling sitting on a hill with wonderful views over a newly-created lake and the Stour Valley

Climb Snowdon - or take the train. Swim, cycle, visit Nat Trust houses. A deliciously quirky retreat for 2 (and babe-in-arms) near Anglesey

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

Just below the Tuscan town of Massa Marittima, an agriturismo loved by sporty types and families, with wonderful food on site

A Victorian farm steading cleverly repurposed as an open-plan holiday home with bright, colourful interiors, deep in the Perthshire hills

Chatty Madame is a superb cook, and her pretty house and garden in a quiet Yvelines village are equally delicious. Zip to Paris by train