Big house with bags of character and easy access to beaches, cafés and cobbled streets, coastal paths and hidden coves

A very tastefully restored old stone stable on a gloriously rural estate with woodland gardens, lake and a deer park

Your own cottage on a wine estate in a very beautiful part of the South Downs, famed for world-class sparkling wines

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

Get away from it all in 'old' France, where melons taste like melons & hikes start from the door. This rural bolthole is a serious treat

A gorgeously quirky historic building overlooking the bustling harbour with a cracking bar, St Austell ales, superb food and stylish rooms

Come for a traffic-free medieval hamlet in sleepy Maremma with easy-going hosts, a beautiful garden and views over the valley

Part of the original Wensleydale creamery overlooking the river, with bustling Hawes and great walking country right on your doorstep

A confident style for this mid-19th-century house, with a Mediterranean garden, elegant terrace and pool, a stroll from the historic centre

You’re wrapped in parkland here and close to the coast, gardens and war memorials. A treat of a stop-over for foodies

A great find if you want to be close to all the action but nicely tucked away. Friendly pub downstairs, cool bedrooms up, Soho 20 minutes

In an outstanding area for lovers of food and wine, here are 3 beautiful boltholes in the Alto Douro, the oldest wine region in the world

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

Small hotel in a hiker's paradise a short walk from Cómpeta with pool, spacious rooms, private terraces, breathtaking views and generous breakfasts

Up, up and away to this stunning cottage perched 1400 feet high in the National Park with big skies, grand walks and much comfort indoors

Luxuriate in style at this central Lecce palazzo with gorgeous rooms, delicious breakfasts (lunch & dinner by arrangement). Walk everywhere

A small, trendy hotel, very much of its time, with oodles of style, stunning bedrooms and fantastic staff

Simple and rustic, this early 1700s farmhouse has warmth and charm, surrounded by countryside in the Perche