A countryside escape for 2 near Chepstow with traditional interiors and cheery wood-burner. Not suitable for children but dogs very welcome

A serene B&B in the heart of the Côte d'Or Burgundy wine region; come for vineyard tours, cycling, sightseeing and gourmet extravaganzas

Sublime views across the Tuscan countryside, seasonal food and the kindest host. Children are welcome, oenophiles will be in heaven

High in the Tuscan hills, at the end of an avenue of cypresses, surrounded by parkland and acres of olives... a 13th-century dream

A charming gite tucked into acres of ancient parkland, with an outdoor kitchen and deer wandering by at dusk

A striking 200-year-old coaching inn in a sleepy village with a classic, traditional pub feel, superb food and wines, pretty bedrooms

A lovely little bolthole to return to after days out exploring pretty Cotswold villages and walking in an AONB straight from the door

Come for sublime Highland scenery, birds and wildlife, long walks and complete peace and tranquillity

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

Loved by estate-workers, visitors, well-heeled locals, and walkers, this spruced-up pub is a friendly launchpad for Chatsworth

A 18th-century house with pool in a small town with friendly owners and a tropical garden of banana, fig and, of course, frangipani

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

Stay a while... lulled by lapping sea and fragrant hanging gardens - cool, light, balconied, classic, intimate, unpretentious

This eco-friendly farmhouse in the hills of Fiesole is 10km from Florence. Good company, superb views of Tuscany, and food for the soul!

An ancient building filled with beauty and sitting in the quietest SSSI valley, criss-crossed by medieval drove ways buzzing with wildlife

Wisteria, clematis and roses clamber up this pretty stone barn conversion with its own big garden surrounded by mature trees and many birds

Choose the atmospheric early Georgian house or the garden bedrooms, all have views, Paul's welcome is genuine and his dinners delicious

Step back in time at this wonderfully authentic château, loved deeply by its owners - 25km from Beaune and the Route des Grands Crus