Vast rooms, thick stone walls and ancient flagged floors skilfully modernised to create comfort, surrounded by romantic château gardens

A boutique hotel on the edge of Arcachon Bay. A natural pool, zen gardens, contemporary Eastern-style interiors, and good food await

Airy, spacious, sunny. This Lot gîte is a delight: linen curtains, oak stair, sunny pool. Sarlat and painted caves are an easy venture away

At the heart of fascinating Palermo, splendid aristocratic hosts welcome you to their historic family mansion filled with heirlooms

Friendly hosts, lovely log fires, delicious dinners, interesting antiques – and Frederick’s special tours of a WWI memorial site

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

A 18th-century house with pool in a small town with friendly owners and a tropical garden of banana, fig and, of course, frangipani

Serious art, lovely lighting, great sound system and a fat wood-burner belting out the heat at this super place for families or friends

An L-shaped former farmhouse is now a gorgeous place to stay, just half an hour from the sea or the mountains and near interesting villages

A working farm with well renovated ancient buildings among 200 acres of pastures and forest. It's quiet here in the glorious Périgord

A truly authentic place to stay on a Sicilian working farm with roaming hens, wheat fields, wild flowers and a distant view of the sea

In the gardens of a laid-back country house, a barn with books, games, faded rugs and a grand piano – a treat for convivial families

Come for the utter silence and the rare beauty of this far north-westerly landscape, teeming with wildlife. An antidote to city life

By a lake, enclosed by woodland - a contemporary house and barn, full of handmade furniture – laze in a hammock, walk the Jurassic Coast

A niftily converted barn with high vaulted ceiling sitting on a hill with wonderful views over a newly-created lake and the Stour Valley

Elegant rooms behind a popular village pub with country walks from the door, and the spectacular Peak District and stately homes nearby

A dog-friendly hotel with traditional bedrooms, excellent breakfasts & a cool bar set on a peaceful side street, minutes from the centre

A remote, rustic place for a digital detox - wildly romantic and perfect in summer with the doors open. Children can play in safety