Rabid fans of smashing city breaks will flock to this oasis with gorgeous garden and pool in a quiet residential street near a big park

This old stone building, a former olive warehouse, is beautifully restored and sits on its own – a simple bolthole for rest and recuperation

Vineyards, fruit trees and immaculate gardens, amazing food and wine, a sense of seclusion and sweeping views of the Tuscan hills

By a bubbling brook in the Mendips, close to Bath and Bristol, a wonderfully revived and welcoming inn with smart rooms and scrumptious food

A calm, leafy bolthole in one of Paris' most elegant districts. Step out to stylish boutiques, good bakeries – and the Eiffel Tower

Between Paris and Rouen, a handsome country house in Monet scenery. Cows graze, bedrooms soothe, friendships bud over bountiful breakfasts

A 17th-century townhouse sitting on a quiet side street with lots of original features and a west-facing patio screened by vines and lemons

Steps from the sea in get-away-from-it-all scenery – half an hour’s walk from St Ives’ arty heart. Sleeps 4 with pull-out beds for 2 more

Contemporary studio in a classic Cotswold village. Peaceful bolthole for creatives and walkers - with shops, cafés and pubs a stroll away

An immaculate stable retreat surrounded by gardens near Canterbury. Two couples could spend an idyllic week here, or a family of 5

In a chocolate-box village just an hour on the train, and a short hop in a taxi, from London is this foodie inn with pretty bedrooms

Imperious old coaching inn lost in deep country with a river to fish, five-mile views, delicious rooms and some very tasty food

Comfortable redbrick cottage with views on the Heydon Hall estate. It’s delightfully rural, yet close to Reepham for pubs and shops

A converted 18th-century chapel in the heart of Bruton with an all-day restaurant, in-house bakery, wine store and south-facing terrace

Feel French in this very beautiful 300-year-old house with a large garden and pool in a hilltop medieval village of winding, cobbled streets

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

Escape to a rural idyll on a working olive and citrus farm in the toe of Italy. Attentive hosts, good for kids and great food!

A perfectly romantic and gorgeously restored bothy in a garden on a hillside by the sea, with grand views over the mountains of Skye