'Pinch me' views over Lake Como, a stony beach below, Varenna on your doorstep... these chic apartments are in an idyllic spot

Cosily colourful bedrooms and large luxurious bathrooms; relax among the lovely antiques after a day's exploring. Great host, too

A celebration of all things Somerset in a thatched village opposite the church and close to National Trust Barrington Court and Gardens

Ease through a beautiful wrought iron gate to a courtyard and an elegant 1700s creamy stone holiday house, part of the château estate

Bring boots, maps, your dog and an appetite for high places and deep comfort in this restored farm conversion

A cracking English inn with open fires, great food, gorgeous rooms, happy staff, lovely gardens and well-kept English ales

A dramatic house with stylish interiors – designed to bring the outdoors in so you feel wrapped in nature. Great for families or friends

Traditional B&B in a beautiful château bursting with history and surrounded by formal gardens, then farmland and two fine rivers

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

An attractive converted stable with covered veranda, private garden and views over rolling countryside, minutes from the coast

Painting courses on request, gardens full of roses, a parasol’d terrace, a seductive pool… we love this welcoming, traditional hotel

A 17th-century traditional Welsh longhouse in a very sheltered spot facing south and with a pretty garden surrounded by fields and meadows

Lovingly renovated farmhouse amid vines and sunflowers, deep in the Charente countryside - small pool in garden, beaches 45 minutes away.

Two duplex apartments filled with art and sculptures inside a beautiful 18th-century orangery, minutes from magnificent Versailles

A cracking spot for this thatched and beamed 17th-century village inn with lovely gardens, just a half-mile stroll from Lulworth Cove

A lovely, unfussy and calming place to stay - independent souls will love the enchanting wild gardens and an annexe for extra folk

A dear little gingerbread-style house in the prettiest part of the estate with your own pontoon and boat on the edge of a shimmering lake