Manicured exteriors surround this 18th-century hamlet, a cluster of restored buildings with nine apartments, restaurant, pool and small spa

This stately-looking former manor house set back from the road in acres of gardens serves very good food and has rustic-chic bedrooms

A heavenly setting for this very well-hidden cottage with its own small pool, amazing views and delightful pebble beach below

Peaceful Basque farmhouse turned smart country B&B, only 20 minutes from restaurants and museums in Bilbao and unspoiled sandy beaches

The village is tiny, the bar is lively, the food is delicious. The Cotswolds are at your feet and you’re encouraged not to lift a finger

Glass-and-timber doors bathe you with light, gaze at big skies and the river Dart lapping. Sublime year round, it's one of our favourites

Dine in the orangery on excellent cuisine, or take breakfast in bed with the shutters thrown wide. Simply delightful

Elegant rooms behind a popular village pub with country walks from the door, and the spectacular Peak District and stately homes nearby

Up in the Cévennes, this big, beautiful family house has superb views, a fine kitchen, lots of space and masses to do and see

A lovely 300-year-old cottage with a tiny walled courtyard garden in a village with a good pub. You can see Dartmoor from the windows

Manor house in the grounds of a quintessential 18th-century French château with pretty gardens and lots of space just 3kms from Bayeux

A delightfully untouched and simple cottage and garden for old-fashioned family seaside holidays just a short walk to Mawgan Porth beach

An 18th-century fisherman's cottage with garden at the end of a cobbled row, for happy seaside holidays with superb beaches nearby

A comfortable and characterful 1775 gatekeeper's lodge on the Mount Congreve Estate with access to the magnificent gardens

Comfortable redbrick cottage with views on the Heydon Hall estate. It’s delightfully rural yet you can walk to the village pub for supper

An immaculately restored old inn with generous bedrooms, great food, ale and wine. Locals love it as much as those who make it a destination

A cosy, very comfortable stone cottage with fine views across the valley, just a couple of miles from the southern tip of Ullswater

A rather grand, opulent house with warm owners, interesting furniture and art and some fine Renaissance architectural elements intact