Attractive country barn - great for two families sharing, for river trips, for playing in the pool, for running free

Explore country markets, churches and châteaux - return to a gite in private parkland with an artist's studio on site, and a blissful pool

At these small hilltop apartments and studios near Cádiz, find history to delight you, massages to soothe you

A spacious, luxurious family retreat, remote but close to Audierne. Watch surfers shoot the waves as seagulls wheel above

Feel at ease in a lovely old townhouse filled with pictures and personality and including a separate loft apartment

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

A magnificent medieval tower in the grounds of an 18th-century château sitting in a dreamy valley. Come for superb gardens and architecture

Elegant house with sprawling gardens and space for family and friends, within walking distance of the coast

An immaculately restored 1500s palazzo, filled with history, art, antiques and books in the buzzing heart of a charming town

Enjoy so much space in this 18th-century paper mill with uncluttered interiors and surrounded by forests, rivers and lush countryside - yet only a stone's throw away from the local bastide towns

A lovely little bolthole for two on a gorgeous estate with restaurant, deli and superb gardens, sculpture walk and wildflower meadows

Saint Emilion and Castillon both a hop away from a warm, wonderful barn with owners to match. Stylish, cosy and deep in organic vines

A wonderful surprise inside this 1590 house sitting in a beautiful walled garden full of fruit trees, just off the High Street

In a small village on the borders, a Jacobean farmhouse luxuriously restored with lovely touches; the Brecon Beacons are close by

In peaceful walled gardens, this former convent is a quiet retreat just a stone’s throw from the Riviera coast and the best of Tuscany

Fabulous bakes and hot waffles at breakfast, green fields all around and Normandy steeped in history. Great for foodies and historians

Soak up the silence while savouring a glass of wine from the owners' vineyard in this rural Welsh idyll

Lovely small hotel in quirky market town surrounded by miles of stunning country - pretty rooms, tasty food and fine ales wait