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

In four acres of garden and woodland (a child’s dream) a house and interlinking barn for 10 guests. Secluded but close to everything

Great taste – in decor and food – and a delicious heated pool. Views swoop over field and valley; trails, villages, wineries tempt

In peaceful walled gardens, this former convent is a quiet retreat just a stone’s throw from the Riviera coast and the best of Tuscany

Come to a gorgeous bolthole, just for two, in a sleepy riverside village with the delights of the Corrèze at your feet

Remote and rural, this cosy cottage is a slice of Welsh heaven, with plenty to do and see just a short drive away

Come for sumptuous bedrooms, fine dining, colourful gardens and charming staff at this smart hotel and restaurant

Big house in peaceful lush oasis among the bananas, vines and aloe vera, a 20-minute walk down into Funchal

A warm, inviting boutique hotel in Shrewsbury’s historic centre; potter about the medieval streets, relax in a sun-catching courtyard

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

An 18th-century fisherman's cottage with garden at the end of a cobbled row, for happy seaside holidays with superb beaches nearby

A 1750 one-storey former farm building, beautifully converted into a lovely hideaway for walkers, nature lovers and peace seekers

A warm and convivial place steeped in French history with an interesting, kind host who really looks after you. Under an hour from Paris too

A very grand façade for this handsome Charente village house with a beautiful, peaceful garden, creamy stone walls and olive trees

Once a hunting lodge, this unique and authentic 18th-century architectural folly sits up a quiet tree-lined drive on the edge of the estate

Surrounded by its vineyards, a Tuscan villa for a memorable, stylish treat of a stay - a sophisticated décor and opulence at every turn

Three restful B&B apartments, unique and stylish with communal spaces, wellbeing and healing, delicious home-cooked food

Eight miles from York, near Moors and coast, this smart historic home is just the ticket for families and small groups of friends