A truly authentic place to stay on a Sicilian working farm with roaming hens, wheat fields, wild flowers and a distant view of the sea

A comfy cottage for two in the quiet, leafy outskirts of Aix with easy access to the city and a kind, attentive owner nearby

Find history and splendour in bucketfuls on this huge, friendly, wooded domaine. A winning combination of modern luxury and ancient peace

An old farmhouse in a hilltop town deep in wine country, with a charming owner intent on ensuring you make the most of your stay

A stylish farm renovation with pools, gym, and flower-filled gardens - find rural tranquillity close to Brittany’s most famous landmarks

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

Bright, cosy cottage in a quiet Devon village – 4 miles from Totnes – with 2 good pubs nearby and an en-suite ground-floor bedroom

Come for deep beds, real fires, Scottish breakfasts, a generous welcome, great walking, cycle tracks and grand lochside views

Heart-warming B&B with hosts who are endlessly thoughtful. The food is exotic, organic, delicious and families are made very welcome

Comfortable home with wood fires, gracious bedrooms and convivial living rooms. The drive is full of blossom and daffodils in spring

A humdinger of a pub, hidden in a sleepy village in the Surrey Hills, oozing character and charm and with delicious food and comfy bedrooms

A lovely, spacious 1830s house in the heart of arty Westport with nearly an acre of garden, an apple orchard and the river running past

Designer cool suites, apartments, a villa – a sophisticated oasis of a place – near white sands, curious caves, turquoise sea, Lecce

A niftily converted old cricket pavilion on the Norfolk/Suffolk border surrounded by a garden and mature trees, now a romantic retreat

Homely furnishings and 17th-century charm at this estate on the Severn, whose owners are mad about horses and give you fine home produce

A quiet retreat with blissful gardens, a pool and charming hosts. You’re close to bastide towns, castles and the Canal du Midi

Contemporary lodge on a remote peninsula with spectacular views; walk, cycle or kayak, explore nature reserves and unspoiled beaches