A cool little inn lost in beautiful hills, child- and dog-friendly, with happy staff and award-winning food

Elegant farmhouse B&B. Drawing room with a log fire, generous breakfasts with home produce, cookery courses and friendly welcoming hosts

A rustic haven in Vouvray wine country: bask on sun beds near the elegant pool, cosy up to the wood-burner, relax in your beautiful bedroom

A warm, inviting boutique hotel in Shrewsbury’s historic centre; potter about the medieval streets, relax in a sun-catching courtyard

Generous apartments in a 300-year-old farmhouse with beautiful grounds and a swimming pool

Just half an hour from Siena, a peaceful apartment with shared garden and pool surrounded by Tuscan countryside, a short walk to Monticiano

Surrounded by delightful gardens, these gîtes are serene retreats from which you can discover the Dordogne, or gently unwind

A perfectly renovated farmhouse in the grounds of a delightful château deep in the Normandy countryside, with a lovely walled garden

A sweet bolthole around a courtyard on a smallholding, extremely comfortable, bright and spacious inside and with a communal garden

Once a hunting lodge, this unique and authentic 18th-century architectural folly sits up a quiet tree-lined drive on the edge of the estate

Simple rooms on a spotless farm, delightful hosts, delicious fruit tarts at breakfast on Sundays. The perfect stopover en route to Calais

The living is easy here: laze in the subtropical garden, float in the saltwater pool, let the kids play and meet other guests over dinner

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 serene retreat basking above the Algarve with sea views from the garden and pool, and charming Moorish details

A very peaceful, family-run hotel on the shores of Lake Garda with rose and jasmine-scented gardens for summer dinners by candlelight

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

Gorgeous small hotel perfectly placed for the magical Dales - stylish bedrooms, open fires, lovely staff and pretty gardens all wait

Bustling Fowey harbour sweeps out below this Victorian townhouse. Walk to shops and restaurants, hike the coastal path, return to comfort