A light and bright converted milking parlour in a rural idyll with a barbecue hut, a spa overlooked by horses and a shared hot tub

A sweet bolthole around a courtyard on a smallholding, extremely comfortable, bright and spacious inside and with a communal garden

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

Restored 18th-century farm building surrounded by countryside, with a good pub a short walk away and Lake Windermere a ten-minute drive

Anglo-Irish meets Italian and Indian; the owners have peppered this charming home with furniture and artefacts from their broad travels

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

A great place for relaxing in hidden corners or by the pool, and for parties. The dinner experiences in the vineyard are delightful and guests are truly cherished

A country house, elegant and unstuffy, at the heart of a working Lazio olive farm. Lunch by the pool or unwind at the hot spring spa

Up at the top of Scotland’s west coast, a small, stylish and welcoming hotel with lovely owners and some nicely priced rooms

A fine old stone mill, the river rushing by, kingfishers, kayaking, swimming: it’s a dream place with Provence and the Cévennes at the door

A pleasing (not very little) place to stay in the heart of a wood within the unspoilt countryside of the South Downs National Park

Just below the Tuscan town of Massa Marittima, an agriturismo loved by sporty types and families, with wonderful food on site

Hospitable Jorge and Clotilde love nothing more than sharing their colourful, chaotic old house with guests. The farm produce is fabulous

A hilltop setting for this ancient fortress with an illustrious past. You stay in apartments or farmhouses inside or outside the walls

A renovated bright apartment with lots of space, a hop, skip and jump away from the shingle beach of seaside-jolly Deal

A colourful place to stay, tucked into the courtyard of this stunning estate, with views across the Pennine fells, deer park and lake

This famous old country house might not come cheap, but where else can you splash out in such decadent style for life’s big celebrations?