A fabulous country boozer, revamped in style with a buzzy atmosphere, great food and welcoming bedrooms - good walking countryside too

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

Soak up Provençal peace in a charming estate in the Alpilles, with stylish ground-floor B&B rooms, olives, vines and a friendly family dog

Like staying in a family home, only with Henri III furniture and rolling green views. Energetic hosts cook, farm, hunt, chat over champagne

Pippa tells you where to find wild flowers, babbling brooks and butterflies... and hike, bike and swim. Magic for families

The nicest owners, the most magical place with wild land to roam. Two barns share a pretty courtyard; Devon's delights are on the doorstep

High in the Tuscan hills, at the end of an avenue of cypresses, surrounded by parkland and acres of olives... a 13th-century dream

An exquisitely restored 500-year-old inn, where the accent is very much on food, reared and grown nearby and with very comfortable rooms

You’ll eat well here, among locals who love the food. The village is quiet, the rooms serenely modern. A great base for a holiday en famille

An 1820s beach house just 50 metres from the pretty sands and a first-floor deck for al fresco meals with stunning views over the water

Enjoy fields of lavender and vines as far as the eye can see from this neat cottage, sharing a pool and gorgeous gardens with other guests

Independence at one end of the house with your own sitting room opening onto a courtyard garden. Good pub for food a few minutes' walk away

Feather pillows, welcome goodies, an extensive batterie de cuisine... the hosts are super generous, the views are to die for

Rural Andalusian retreat with bags of boho style promises wide-open skies, mountain vistas and fabulous meals prepared by your host

Converted stables in the grounds of a manor house in a peaceful village just outside Banbury with lovely walking in the Cherwell Valley

Old wooden sleigh beds, check-clothed tables, log fires, a courtyard of centuries-old trees, a claw foot bath. Stacks of character

Luxurious living combines with bleating sheep and bells from the church next door - 4 fabulous retreats on the Cotentin Peninsula

Plenty of uncluttered easy space both in and out by the private pool - children love the freedom - great wine, food, and cycling country