Charming gardens for you and your dog in a barn conversion in rural Norfolk half an hour from coast

High up and with splendid views of the estuary and harbour, this roomy apartment is a very comfortable base for seaside holidays

Indulge in superb Galician seafood and wine, an open fire, local art, pool, hammock, village peace, sandy beaches...and warm, dynamic hosts

A lovely gîte, once a hunting lodge, with two private terraces overlooking the manicured gardens of an 1830s manor house

A lovely eco barn - your home from home; come for walks on the North Yorks Moors, world class cycling and cosy evenings by the wood-burner

Beautiful Noto is 4 miles from the Ionian Sea, and this creative renovation, with lush garden, stands above the throng. Heaven in Sicily

A beautiful little house in a corner of the garden: walk for miles or just to the local pub, barbecue on the deck with its rural views

A hilltop setting for this ancient fortress with an illustrious past. You stay in apartments or farmhouses inside or outside the walls

An 18th-century watermill with millrace and pond, now a smart B&B with a swimming pool and pretty gardens, run by charming English hosts

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

A smartly renovated 250-year-old brick and flint built inn, tucked away in a sleepy village beneath the glorious South Downs

A seaside inn on Babbacombe Bay with views of sea and sky, rooms to feel happy in, a spa and homely, hearty dining

White-painted beams, wonky white walls and your own parking spot fairly nearby. You're near the harbour and subtropical gardens

Escape your cares here, move from terrace to terrace tracking the sun's progress and dive into the sea from your own swimming platform

High-up, simple apartments, pools with fabulous views; kids play-things and donkeys, the glittering coast, Rapallo and Portofino down below

A 200-year-old quintessential Umbrian farmhouse with pool, immersed in nature and with no immediate neighbours for lazy, peaceful days

Pretty Parisian pied-à-terre tucked down a private lane, with a lively local scene and the metro just a minute away