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

Bring the family for a traditional Tuscan apartment holiday with a restaurant and pool on site, all surrounded by rippling green countryside

The views are sensational, the bedrooms full of charm and higgledy-piggledy beams. Sip Perigord Noir on the terrace and amble to the market

A wisteria-laden pergola shades the sunny side of the farmhouse - in gentle olive country near the Sibillini Park, not far from the Adriatic

Refined palazzo with a rooftop terrace near the historic centre of Ostuni. The Valle d’Itria region and the coast is on your doorstep

A beautifully renovated lighthouse with stunning views from the lantern room. Pretty bedrooms, great walking and fabulous breakfasts

An ancient thatched cottage near Dartmoor with a warming log fire in winter and flowers inside and out in the summer

Rare as a bird, a proper old fashioned French inn on the side of the road in a sleepy village, a restoration project for the new owners

Good food draws the crowds at this smart bar & restaurant with rooms in a quiet village sandwiched between Cornwall’s north and south coasts

Gorgeously restored villas with breathtaking views. Chill out on the terrace, sample the owner’s homemade wine, and the wood-fired pizza!

A fin-de-siècle Franco-Scottish décor for this hospitable, entertaining B&B, in the heart of Edinburgh’s cultural quarter

Inspiring scenery for this lavender farm near a Provençal village. Rustic eco-friendly cottages, a hump-backed bridge, a hammock by the pool

With stunning coastal views and family farm surroundings, these cottages are bright and roomy; plus wood-burning stoves and indoor pool

A botanical beauty deep in the Loire Valley, this elegant house has history and heart in abundance

Portraits, paintings and a historic look-out tower, pool, gardens and delicious breakfasts... San Fabiano captures everyone’s heart

Two lovely cottages, packed with atmosphere, character and comfort in a magical timeless valley surrounded by nature

A 1980s Catalan mas built in a traditional style, with garden and pool, surrounded by olive trees and vineyards near the Spanish border

Countryside and seaside all in one go – what could be more inspiring? Lovely Louisa lives down the road, on hand if you need her