A cracking place full of fun and interest where you feel instantly at home. Large peaceful rooms, delicious breakfasts, countryside views

Take a suite with champagne, strawberries and a tower, swim in the saltwater pool, eat a Castilian cocido - unwind in rural peace!

Ease through a beautiful wrought iron gate to a courtyard and an elegant 1700s creamy stone holiday house, part of the château estate

Up the winding road to stillness, nature and a magical view. There’s glorious Gubbio to explore, and a log fire to come home to

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

Hike the Wild Boar Fells, get cosy at home with books, games and DVDs, and meet the farm’s hens, cows and sheep

A 200-year old townhouse on a charming cobbled street with stunning views from the terraces over rooftop Olhão and down to the sea

A luxurious 1920s manor house with superbly stylish rooms, secluded gardens and a heated pool; close to the Picardy coast

Ideal for families: pool, tennis and golf at the hotel with beach and yachting nearby. Comfortable bedrooms and a terrace for outdoor dining

A charming base in historic Beaulieu - expect delicious food, traditional country-house interiors, and walks that start from the front door

A small, rural cottage high in the wooded hills with long views, your own private pool, utter peace and quiet and a superb restaurant nearby

Rural Andalusian retreat with bags of boho style promises wide-open skies, mountain vistas and fabulous meals prepared by your host

An eco B&B (minus hair shirt) in the stunning Meon Valley surrounded by woodland and wildlife - a Sawday's Community Champion

Laze under the loggia, drink in superb, sweeping Umbrian views and wine from the vines beyond the pool; sleep peacefully in grand style

There’s a calm feel to this three-storey cottage, close to the centre of Bridport and the beach. Great for families, walkers and dogs

It's not often you get an entire hamlet to yourselves but here it is – 10 traditional stone houses with big communal spaces in rural bliss

Fabulous Drôme gîtes: contemporary in old stone buildings, uncluttered, fresh. Take all 5 for a party, laze by pool, doze in lavender

Beautiful light-filled eco-homes in Loch Lomond National Park – Scotland’s treasures are easily reached from here