With incredible views across to distant hilltop towns, olive groves and buzzing bees, this elegant farmhouse has bags of charm

A much-loved Tuscan villa restored to elegance: dinner on the terrace, frescoes, rose garden, a small spa…and Florence a 20-minute drive

A lofty, spacious feel to this converted barn with stunning views over rolling hills, swooping swallows in summer and an honesty farm shop

If you need a great place in which to relax and don’t want to pay too much for it, try these excellent suites, which spoil you all the way

Irresistible for art, design and heritage-lovers, bird-watchers and those who love to explore Norfolk's wide open spaces

Bedrooms with terraces and views over St Michael’s Mount Bay. Explore the gardens; walk from the door to glorious beaches

Your friendly hosts offer you stylish bedrooms, swims in the heated pool, and wonderful dinners and wines. Cahors is only a 10-minute drive

There’s a Tuscan feel to this lovely, family-friendly place – walk to the sound of cicadas, stargaze, visit vineyards, markets and castles

This shuttered, stone maison in Gascony on the Santiago de Compostela pilgrims' route is a joy for families to spend time together

In wine country, a beautifully revived 16th-century manor and hospitable B&B. Visit Angers’ cathedral, cruise along the Loire to Saumur

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

A peaceful spot for this beautifully restored old barn surrounded by lovely gardens and a sparkling pool on the banks of the Dordogne river

Stay a while... lulled by lapping sea and fragrant hanging gardens - cool, light, balconied, classic, intimate, unpretentious

A reader writes, 'This place turned out to be one of life's wonderful experiences - a beautiful setting, gorgeous food, kindest of hosts...'

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

An artist's house imbued with an understated elegance. Stay for dinner; be charmed by the garden where fruit trees throng, hens loiter

Great gulps of ozone will engulf you at this architect-designed 1960s beach house - light, bright and sparkling, just like the ocean

A stylish timber frame eco build, clad with recycled steel and with an upstairs living space to make the most of the glorious sunsets