A quintessential Grade II listed thatched cottage with glorious gardens near a 13th-century church and surrounded by rolling hills

Great gulps of ozone will engulf you at this architect-designed 1960s beach house - light, bright and sparkling, just like the ocean

5 minutes from the Vatican in a tall palazzo above the British school. Owners share local tips, serve bakery-fresh breakfasts on the terrace

Pluck grapes, splash in the child-shallow pool and explore the ‘Yorkshire of Italy’ with rolling green hills and conical trulli

Gorgeous rooms and splendid breakfasts – for sybarites, history-lovers, cyclists and canoeists - bang in the middle of ancient Long Melford

A timbered, fire-warmed village farmhouse, home-grown dinners, delightfully French hosts. Deliciously authentic, generous and calm

A great little inn, hugely popular, with stylish bedrooms, lovely food, happy staff and a winning position on the river Wyre

Wisteria, clematis and roses clamber up this pretty stone barn conversion with its own big garden surrounded by mature trees and many birds

A lovely modern Provençal house, light and welcoming, in a valley of vineyards and forest, tucked peacefully away from the coast

A large cottage by the walled garden on a peaceful estate with oodles of space for big gatherings and views over a lake and mature trees

A beautifully designed wooden lodge with hot tub on the deck, glass-front wood-burner, plenty of space and complete immersion in nature

A heavenly setting for this very well-hidden cottage with its own small pool, amazing views and delightful pebble beach below

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

In wine country, a beautifully revived 16th-century manor and hospitable B&B. Visit Angers’ cathedral, cruise along the Loire to Saumur

A Georgian townhouse full of character for an epic family and friend get-together. The best of Hay is a stroll away

A pretty little cottage in a holiday hamlet surrounded by fields, just a stone's throw from the coast and Binic for happy escapes

A restored Grade II listed flint barn with roots in the 13th century, a serene lily pond and mesmerising views over the South Downs