Sitting at the end of the estate's private driveway, this sandstone building has grand Italianate columns and comfortable interiors

All you'd hope for, and more! Enormous rooms, marvellous beams, majestic views and wines from their vineyard

Three airy gîtes set in 300 acres of vineyard and gardens. A welcoming base for exploring the marvellous Minervois – 15km from Carcassonne

The views take your breath away, the breakfasts are beautiful, and you feel like you're staying in the home of dear friends

Eco-friendly B&B overlooking Lake Como with marvellous mountain and lake views. Heaps of space, generous hosts, a menagerie of animals

A serene retreat, deep in forested hills with lovely gardens, the river rushing through and a very comfortable, calming and spacious house

Bags of character within and without at this four-storey village house with rooftop views over the mountains, next to a 12th-century church

The Gautiers have the finest sense of how to treat guests: dreamy bedrooms, fantastic food & the pool beneath the orange trees is a delight

The river's gentle flow sets the tone for a relaxing stay in this peaceful Loire estate: quiet rooms, sweet village, dinner with Madame

A relaxed home-from-home feel at this Spanish house with old-fashioned charm, a big garden and pool and lovely views from every window

A B&B in a WWF-protected botanical garden beside Lake Maggiore. Wander and explore, take a dip in the lake. This place invites you to unwind

A lovely old stone cottage in a group round a pretty courtyard, with your own private patio and seating area, on the Pink Granite Coast

Gorgeous off-grid suites invite you to slow down surrounded by nature with long views and good food

A renovated, comfy Victorian cottage behind a small village pub, a hub for the local community and with good food, ales and wine

A big old house with a lovely pool, surrounded by ancient olives just 3kms from the sea and deep in the heart of Bandol wine country

An old farm worker's cottage, niftily done up and nicely remote, with walking and fishing on the doorstep, four miles from Hadrian's Wall

If you need a great place in which to relax and don’t want to pay too much for it, try these excellent suites, which spoil you all the way

A super upside-down house perched on a cliff in bustling Saundersfoot with glorious views over the beach and the Atlantic