A slice of rural heaven close to the Pembrokeshire coast - good rooms, hearty food, wonderful walks and beautiful beaches wait

A 15th-century Venetian palazzo, lovingly restored with stylish rooms overlooking the Grand Canal and a designer's insight into the city

Come to stay in a fine old townhouse with elegant proportions, high ceilings and a rambling, English-style garden close to Mont Saint-Michel

Delightful B&B on a working farm, generous hosts welcome you with tea and homemade cake. Bring a piece of furniture and give it a facelift!

Come for a sense of complete peace surrounded by country and coast with wonderful interiors to boot – a bolthole for two (plus two)

Heart-soaring Pyrenean views, animals roaming, natural materials in simple rural rooms, organic food: it’s a superbly welcoming eco-lodge

An irresistible eco restaurant-hotel of character and charm, run by two friendly families and set in gorgeous grounds. Foodie heaven

Gloriously green rural self-catering apartments with pool and lovely, friendly owners

Wonky floors and handmade beds in a restored coaching inn for 4, 6 or 8 - sociable evenings round the farmhouse table, walks from the door

Authenticity and originality combine at this family chateau with its panelled rooms, theatrical flourishes and charming candlelit dinners

In four acres of garden and woodland (a child’s dream) a house and interlinking barn for 10 guests. Secluded but close to everything

Fall in love with this riverside village, lost in a valley in lower Normandy, and this sunny house for couples or families

A very attractive stone building on a smallholding with all mod cons, a bedroom for stargazing, Guest Farm Shop and pretty communal gardens

Slow down, discover the quieter side of the island - volcanic rocks, clear seas from hidden beaches and César Manrique's Jardín de Cactus

Come to unwind in nature, surrounded by sun-drenched fields in this large, rustic but elegant villa with courtyard, garden and pool

Elegant, charming home in leafy, peaceful garden - pâtisserie courses and good dinners. Champagne vineyards and historic Provins are nearby

Come for the utter silence and the rare beauty of this far north-westerly landscape, teeming with wildlife. An antidote to city life

A stone building designed by Sir John Soane in the stable yard of this historic and beautiful estate with deer park and woodland gardens