Gaze on Umbrian hills as the children play, watch the fireflies dance at night. Dine fabulously in Gubbio - or here. Sociable-family bliss

Three luxurious apartments sleeping up to 10 people altogether, set within an elegant Georgian manor house in the Wye Valley AONB

Citrus scents the air, loungers flank a spakling pool. Light, cool, simple rooms, vibrant hosts, garden and olive groves - divine food

Capture the spirit of a different era in these immaculate studios and apartments surrounded by umbrella pines, down the road from St Tropez

If you want to come to Venice as an open-hearted traveller rather than a tourist then this is the place for you - just walk to everything

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

Close to the expansive north Norfolk coast, this is a contemporary hotel with a laid-back vibe and excellent food

Gorgeous thatched gîte in a stunning clifftop location with wonderful views across to Mont Saint Michel and the island of Tombelaine

An artist's house imbued with an understated elegance. Stay for dinner; be charmed by the garden where fruit trees throng, hens loiter

Comfortable and cosy B&B with superb food, tucked away on a dairy farm in the very quietest part of Pembrokeshire near the coast path

For walkers and lovers of wildly beautiful coastal country: two cosy old cottages and a bright, modern renovation in a cluster with others

An enchanting escape immersed in nature yet only 40 minutes by train into the Eternal City for art and history-filled days

A pretty upside-down cottage, formerly a dovecote, lovingly restored with sustainability the focus

A serene retreat, deep in forested hills with lovely gardens, the river rushing through and a very comfortable, calming and spacious house

A gem of a château in the wilds of Limousin with kind and thoughtful owners who are thoroughly immersed in this tranquil area

A joyful, inviting house on a 15-acre smallholding in Devon. Super food, gracious hosts, delightful bedrooms - leave feeling nourished

Cosied up by the fire in your farmhouse high on the moor you’ll feel miles from civilisation, while Chatsworth is just minutes away

Sumptuous bedrooms and a cheering big fireplace above these old stables on the Egton Estate, great for walks and wildlife, a hop from Whitby