Charming suites filled with antiques sit above Rachel and George’s award-winning tearoom. Ely is a pretty little city well worth a visit

Find history and splendour in bucketfuls on this huge, friendly, wooded domaine. A winning combination of modern luxury and ancient peace

Your hosts couldn’t be nicer and look after you beautifully – this is a lovely, homely place with a rambling garden

Sea views, fulsome breakfasts and plenty of fresh air on a traditional farm. A rustic treat: Southern Italian rural life at its best.

Two peaceful olive grove farmhouses, hours of hiking along CAI trails, each offering a shared pool with incredible views, Pisa and Lucca only 20 minutes away

A fuss-free, informal place to stay with family - your own entrance straight from the garden and tasty breakfasts set up in a summer house

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

A light and bright 1900s holiday home for family holidays by the sea, with a large enclosed garden and a short hop to beach and shops

Rural peace just an hour from London in your own gorgeous converted hay barn, ten minutes from Alton

Great for gatherings of family and friends: fine views, a good big kitchen, games room and pool; nearby caves and castles to explore

Wander the city, discover islands, visit Vesuvius, eat in lively restaurants, savour the street food of Naples

An 18th-century cottage in a tranquil village, formerly the bakery, now restored to perfection with oodles of space and much comfort

Two family-friendly gites with gardens and a big pool, surrounded by corn fields and sunflowers, ideal for a larger family to take together

A peaceful setting among plane trees and oleander for this traditional mas with separate apartments and a gypsy caravan, pool and gardens

A light-filled, modern house with wonderful sea views through vast picture windows stretching all the way to St Kilda on clear days

Plenty of restful, comfortable space indoors and out in the Mediterranean garden with its courtyard pool – restaurants to walk to

A beautifully restored cottage and extra wing for 3 - 4 on Bodmin Moor for families, outdoor types and lovers of real countryside – dogs can come too

A fairytale château with ancient roots, now beautifully renovated with lovely bedrooms, terrace, garden and ponds for gracious living