Birders will love escaping up here, golfers too - visit Hatfield House, Knebworth, Cambridge - come back to a good local pub and a comfy bed

A lovely modern Provençal house, light and welcoming, in a valley of vineyards and forest, tucked peacefully away from the coast

Come for stunning views down to the bay of La Herradura and this traditional, family-focused 1990s house on three floors

Spread out in much style with friends or family in a beautifully renovated Victorian farmhouse at the foot of the Howgill fells

Glorious views of Derwentwater and Skiddaw from this comfortable house. Art dotted about, a big table for chatty meals and a pretty garden

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

Hilltop château on the edge of a small village half an hour from Saint-Émilion, with a lovely garden, a swimming pool and two lakes

Bold, bright decor within the 19th-century walls of this pretty courtyard cottage, with a hot tub and long views over parkland and lake

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

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

A tucked-away and peaceful retreat from which to explore the beautiful Dordogne or simply to unwind and recharge

Anouk & Gilles have fine-tuned their welcome. Lounge by the pool and dine exquisitely within their landscaped park

An 18th-century watermill with millrace and pond, now a smart B&B with a swimming pool and pretty gardens, run by charming English hosts

Come on down to this working farm for delicious organic food, an on-site sourdough bakery and crisp bedrooms in a pretty farmhouse

A 1750s farmhouse with a comfortable, informal feel resting in woodland. You're near to iconic tourist spots but hiding in the quiet woods

Swing off the main road through the village, up into the hills along a narrow track and through a gate, observed by curious sheep

Chocolate-box cottages in deepest Normandy, owned by bright young things with a passion for organic cuisine and the good life

A pleasure to stay in such a dreamy château surrounded by a beautiful terrace, elegant gardens and parkland, a lake, river and waterfall