A friendly rural town pub with smart rooms, locally inspired menus and Cheshire and north Wales to explore – bring the dog too

A charming hotel in a quiet neighbourhood in medieval Bologna, just the ticket for a city escape filled with food, history and culture

Immerse yourself in 50 acres of peaceful countryside and the fine pool. Generous owners are on hand, Les Eyzies is just a few minutes' drive

Bright, cosy cottage off the beaten track between the South Hams and Dartmoor, with good pubs nearby and an en suite ground-floor bedroom

A serene retreat, deep in forested hills with lovely gardens, the river rushing through and a very comfortable, calming and spacious house

An ancient thatched cottage near Dartmoor with a warming log fire in winter and flowers inside and out in the summer

Return to warming fires after hiking in Ireland's highest mountains. Two traditional cottages on the outskirts of pretty Killorglin

A 300-year-old cottage and a secluded, magical setting next to the longest sea loch in the UK, for walkers, dreamers and nature lovers

Historic, eco-friendly elegance, views over Etna and Naxos Bay, jasmine-scented gardens... and a charming family feel. Stroll into Taormina

On a quiet road leading to the sea, this sleepy village pub has been sensitively restored. Enjoy good food, sleep in comfy bedrooms

Kate makes you feel at home the moment you enter her great big beloved house - full of books, guitars and a piano, antiques and huge spaces

A romantic and very comfortable retreat in a smartly converted dairy with a pretty garden, close to the South Downs

A converted farmhouse set in a large mature garden, well located for exploring the delights of the Lot et Garonne south of the Dordogne

A gorgeous house with oodles of original features, a lovely garden and the owners' pub, farm shop, brewery and spa a short walk

A country house, elegant and unstuffy, at the heart of a working Lazio olive farm. Lunch by the pool or unwind at the hot spring spa

A delightful Arts & Crafts lodge house on a lovely estate sitting in a dramatic setting on the western flank of the Malvern Hills

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

Gaze over sublime vistas, refresh in the plunge pool, cook up a barbecue treat. A Provençal studio, simply furnished and deeply relaxing