High-up, simple apartments, pools with fabulous views; kids play-things and donkeys, the glittering coast, Rapallo and Portofino down below

With incredible views across to distant hilltop towns, olive groves and buzzing bees, this elegant farmhouse has bags of charm

Eschew the crowds for your own slice of bliss in this ancient hamlet with village green - self-catering with a hotel feel and dreamy pool

A lovely old house and rambling garden in a medieval village with a monumental château, 12th-century church and a good local restaurant

Great for comfort, beauty, character and home baking. Borrow vintage bikes to explore Cambridge: Christine knows it inside out

Simple and rustic, this early 1700s farmhouse has warmth and charm, surrounded by countryside in the Perche

Within the city walls and right next to the Minster, this super-smart hotel gives you gorgeous bedrooms and delicious food

An 18th-century coaching inn wrapped in countryside now a relaxed pub with rooms serving excellent food and drink with 16 inviting bedrooms

Food grown, foraged and prepared with care, a carefully curated wine list, roaring fires and very comfortable bedrooms to sink into

A picture-perfect village and a beautifully refurbished 17th-century inn with a cracking bar, stylish bedrooms and delicious pub food

A charming B&B in south Sardinia, near Cagliari: circled by palms and cypresses, overlooking sweet-smelling lemon & orange groves. Bliss

A fine country manor house on the edge of a village, peacefully surrounded by gardens and trees, and close to the D-Day landing beaches

Come for summer breakfasts of pastries fresh from the local bakery, afternoons reading by the pool and long, lazy lunches

A striking, newly thatched and revamped pub with spoiling bedrooms, an inviting bar and menus overseen by Raymond Blanc - you'll eat well

A sustainably run 1902 farmhouse and a cottage in countryside close to a wonderfully wild stretch of the North Devon coast

In a profoundly peaceful spot between arty St Ives and stunning Marazion, a hideaway for two surrounded by gardens and parkland

Perfect for families - a glorious farmhouse surrounded by lavender fields. Rooms are huge and children can roam free in the vast gardens

Sun-soaked stillness, saltwater dips and garden scents of fig and rosemary - slow days unfold between olive trees and a sky full of stars