Tranquil couple's getaway with a shared pool, wonderful views, and lavender plants in every direction. The delightful owners are next door

A nicely priced inn on Shaftesbury's high street with a warm contemporary style and some excellent food – fine local walking waits

Family-run B&B in an authentic and informal home. Stay for delicious dinners, walk along the river, explore Umbria’s heritage

Beautiful Noto is 4 miles from the Ionian Sea, and this creative renovation, with lush garden, stands above the throng. Heaven in Sicily

Great for gatherings of family and friends: fine views, a good big kitchen, games room and pool; nearby caves and castles to explore

Very relaxed B&B at this 17th-century country house just 5 minutes from the perched village of St-Paul-de-Vence and 10 from the sea

Find gilded mirrors, rich brocades, Fragonard toiletries and an unexpected roof terrace at this 6-bedroom guest house near St Mark’s Square

In peaceful walled gardens, this former convent is a quiet retreat just a stone’s throw from the Riviera coast and the best of Tuscany

Chatty Madame is a superb cook, and her pretty house and garden in a quiet Yvelines village are equally delicious. Zip to Paris by train

An 1800s former watermill, now elegantly converted to give B&B rooms plus a self-catering cottage in the Côte d'Opale, superb for walking

Tucked away privately in part of a spectacular listed manor house, this apartment has wonderful views across to Hartland and the sea

A family retreat high above the river Dordogne and deep in woodland - with heated pool, games room and village restaurants a stroll away

Colourful coastal apartments and studios where you can be nicely independent, and enjoy a communal café and health club with Art Deco pool

A reader writes, 'This place turned out to be one of life's wonderful experiences - a beautiful setting, gorgeous food, kindest of hosts...'

A small hotel in the greenest valley facing super views of Picos de Europa National Park. Head out walking, spot wildlife, climb the peaks

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

You're beautifully looked after in this gorgeous Tuscan house. Come for Alpine walks, historic trails and wild nature all around

A lovingly restored 19th-century farmhouse sitting between the Galtees and Ballyhouras, with a hot tub waiting at day's end