A snug Snowdonia bolthole arranged around a vast boulder, once home to Victorian artists inspired by the setting. For romantic hikers

A dog-friendly cottage in a tranquil village, formerly the bakery, now restored to perfection with oodles of space and much comfort

A lovely big house with huge riverside gardens and an easy-going charm – a 15-minute walk from bookish Hay-on-Wye

Friendly touches everywhere, terrific food and drink, smart bedrooms above the sparkling bar – dogs and children welcome

A period manor and pretty rooms in old stables: a quiet base for Pas-de-Calais and Picardie. Madame loves the house, animals, story-telling

A 17th-century traditional Welsh longhouse in a very sheltered spot facing south and with a pretty garden surrounded by fields and meadows

A truly special barn conversion, flooded with light and with its own decked outdoor space surrounded by bucolic countryside

B&B rooms, some with kitchenettes, in a lush garden setting with a river running behind. The pretty village is on your doorstep

Leave the car, everything is walkable & buses are practically free. Visit restaurants, vineyards & markets from your lofty village bolthole

Ski in winter, walk and cycle in summer - return to unbeatable hospitality, warm, large and comfortable bedrooms with views, robust food

Glass-and-timber doors bathe you with light, gaze at big skies and the river Dart lapping. Sublime year round, it's one of our favourites

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

Small and elegant family-run hotel with airy bedrooms, plenty of private spaces and a bus to take you to the centre of bustling Avignon

Rural bliss at the end of the lane: a cottage for 2 with wine and local biscuits in the hamper and farmers’ markets within a 5-mile drive

A rustic-chic bolthole with bird's eye views to gaze at from your bedroom and the beautiful garden, tucked in a quaint hamlet in Maremma

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

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

Garden lovers will flock to this lovely B&B with two spacious suites and delicious breakfasts – a good spot by a quiet hamlet