Grand and old and filled with history, the estate and such a pretty house are a tonic, as are the well-tended grounds and parkland

On the riverside, a short walk into Godalming, this lovely 18th-century pub with a peaceful garden has beautiful bedrooms and inventive menus

Sleek, smart apartments on the first floor of a 19th-century building in Verona's most fashionable residential/commercial neighbourhood

Escape to your own barn. Brimming with beams and natural colours - surrounded by peaceful lavender-filled gardens and corn fields

Two duplex apartments filled with art and sculptures inside a beautiful 18th-century orangery, minutes from magnificent Versailles

A glamourous escape in central Nice. Creative art-filled interiors, a fabulous tropical garden, sumptuous buffet breakfasts, pool and spa

What a surprise! Tucked into a row of tightly woven old cottages is this contemporary open-plan hideaway with huge windows and much flair

Airy, spacious, sunny. This Lot gîte is a delight: linen curtains, oak stair, sunny pool. Sarlat and painted caves are an easy venture away

In the city of Trapani, at the foot of Mount Erice, a nobleman's villa with a warm heart and exotic gardens. A hop from the Egadi Islands

Once a coach house, now a split-level place to stay – you can walk to the river and it's just a short hop to central London

Superbly comfortable house with beamed rooms, lovely views, club-like morning room, antiques, terrace, pool, fitness centre and lily pond

Designed with style and comfort, peaceful, sophisticated and serene with countryside views. And you have your own lovely pool

A stylish hotel, tucked away yet central, an unusually quiet base for exploring Rome just a three-minute walk from the tube station

A gorgeously tranquil place to escape to and fall in love with the Périgord's medieval villages, valleys, wines, markets and artisan farms

A beautiful, homely place for groups and families with views of the Pyrenees from the garden and terrace - the perfect spot for sundowners

Glamour, warmth and style in a renovated wine warehouse in a cool quarter of Bordeaux - France’s most popular city after Paris

A bright, light newly built annexe flat adjoining a farmhouse and sitting on a hill looking out over a lake and fields beyond to the village