Your own cottage sitting room downstairs and a swish bedroom up – breakfast in the courtyard before venturing forth to discover Canterbury

A thatched farmhouse only just over the channel near Rouen that’s well hidden in lush gardens, but worth finding for the gourmet food alone

A really well thought-out escape for a small family with children. A big garden, pool, petanque court and play barn for indoor fun

Splash under the Elephant Arch, take a boat to the caves, set off for Tunisia! Then it’s back to a super-private room by the sea

A vine-clad stone house hideaway for lovers, walkers, artists and hermits with a sweet veranda overlooking woodland down to the river

A comfortable and light-filled converted stone barn in the pretty Vendée, a quiet and rural spot but just half a mile from town

Tucked down an alley off the main road through Midhurst, this well-designed, generous-spirited little house exudes character and quirk

Your very own château in the Dordogne for big family get-togethers and special celebrations

An old bakehouse, part of a farm gifted to The National Trust for Jersey with a beautiful walled garden filled with wildflowers in spring

Throw open French windows to this sleek self-catering space, with off-street parking. Walk to the beach & the pub, visit historic Chichester

Come here in the summer (it’s closed Nov-April except by arrangement) for candlelit dining, chintzy bedrooms, long views over the park...

Old meets new seamlessly here: ancient stone, lofty beams, good comfort, wood-burner, Jacuzzi/spa and space to relax in the designer garden

Elegant house with sprawling gardens and space for family and friends, within walking distance of the coast

A romantic and very comfortable retreat in a smartly converted dairy with a pretty garden, close to the South Downs

A converted 19th-century church in the Northumberland National Park with beautiful stained-glass windows and a restored tower

A cool little inn lost in beautiful hills, child- and dog-friendly, with happy staff and award-winning food

In a hamlet in the Loire countryside is a friendly estate with a family-sized gite, a shared saltwater pool and heaps of old-world charm

An inviting B&B on a terraced Fulham street: greats hosts, a big, tranquil suite and continental breakfast in the courtyard on sunny days