A taste of old Italy in this off-the-beaten-track rustic house on three levels, exquisitely restored and with elegant designer furnishings

A delightfully Lilliputian Georgian cottage with all mod cons at the end of a terrace just a short walk to shops, cafés and the beach

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

This cottage is stylish and serene, beautifully transformed from an old farm building – come for golf, beaches, walks and bird-watching

A confident style for this mid-19th-century house, with a Mediterranean garden, elegant terrace and pool, a stroll from the historic centre

Come on down to this working farm for delicious organic food, an on-site sourdough bakery and crisp bedrooms in a pretty farmhouse

A wonderful country house, a unique wine story, very luxurious rooms and suites, a spa, infinity pool and restaurant

Fabulous Drôme gîtes: contemporary in old stone buildings, uncluttered, fresh. Take all 5 for a party, laze by pool, doze in lavender

A gorgeous big old house on a farm in a very quiet part of Wiltshire - the undiscovered North Wessex Downs, filled with wildlife and an AONB

An elegant manor house with pretty bedrooms, pool and large grounds. Nathalie looks after you with ease and sets you up with big breakfasts

An old farm worker's cottage, niftily done up and nicely remote, with walking and fishing on the doorstep, four miles from Hadrian's Wall

A 16th-century characterful gem right on the harbourside, serving excellent food at reasonable prices and with pleasant bedrooms

A gorgeously tranquil place to escape to and fall in love with the Périgord's medieval villages, valleys, wines, markets and artisan farms

Sweet Grade II listed fisherman's terrace cottage for 4 (+ 1) close to the centre of bustling St Ives; a place to escape to year-round

Charming 15th-century farmhouse near Montrésor and Loches with immense lawns, orchards and a fabulous pool

The central part of a much larger building in a 17th-century hamlet with bright, spacious rooms, shared pool and glorious private gardens

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

This grand house on the river Derwent oozes old-fashioned comfort – find traditional bedrooms, delicious food and an open fire