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

Find gilded mirrors, rich brocades, Fragonard toiletries and an unexpected roof terrace at this 6-bedroom guest house near St Mark’s Square

There's a lovely relaxed feel to this rather grand house, garden, ponds and orangery. Ashley and Amanda are easy-going hosts

An attractive, sympathetic barn conversion, full of light, pleasingly uncluttered and hidden down a lane in stunningly beautiful countryside

Historic buildings by a turreted manor house, beautifully renovated to welcome large parties with grounds to roam and dreamy river views

A 200-year-old quintessential Umbrian farmhouse with pool, immersed in nature and with no immediate neighbours for lazy, peaceful days

Good restaurants, beach walks, a grand welcome for dogs: that’s Whitstable. Bring friends and stay in this smart house close to it all

You're only a whisper away from history in this family-run château, where rose gardens, sumptuous bedrooms and generous breakfasts wait

An old-world inn full of colour, with open fires, cosy rooms, local food and the magnificent Northumberland National Park all around

Immerse yourselves in nature on this estate with walled gardens, wildflower meadows and ancient woodlands - a Sawday's Community Champion

Farmhouse B&B with thoughtful hosts and superb breakfasts; Michelin-star dining is in the village and thermal baths are near

A fine country manor house on the edge of a village, peacefully surrounded by gardens and trees, and close to the D-Day landing beaches

A cosy bolthole near Paris's best museums, monuments and churches. A peaceful sleep and simple buffet breakfast set you up for sightseeing

A grand yet very homely place with tasty home cooking and 200 acres to explore. Play golf, sail, cycle – wonderfully informal

A glorious château near Tours – authentic, huge fun, steeped in family history and surrounded by gorgeous gardens with a serene pool

Swim in the pool overlooking vineyards, try the wines and oil made onsite, get cosy by log fires or head to the nearby beach

A sweet retreat for a nature-loving couple, with soul-searching views and the smell of the sea. Logs and Breton cider are on the house...

Former blacksmith’s workshop in a chocolate-box corner of the New Forest, where clematis climbs the trellis and all you hear are the birds