A red-brick cottage and Shepherd’s hut in a magical garden with a cookery school and views over the South Downs

Log fires smoulder, rooms are comfortable, the food is delicious and there's bags of character at this old village pub – once a cider house

A fuss-free, informal place to stay with family - your own entrance straight from the garden and tasty breakfasts set up in a summer house

A small, family-run boutique hotel sitting right at the foot of Etna with wonderful views, garden, pool and ambrosial Sicilian breakfasts

Former blacksmith’s workshop in a chocolate-box corner of the New Forest, where clematis climbs the trellis and all you hear are the birds

Your own cosy apartment in the once arty, now classy Latin Quarter. An elegant, romantic and peaceful bolthole for 2

An exquisite Provençal home for a large party, hidden behind grand gates in a small village surrounded by the pine-scented Alpilles

Special back-to-nature, stargazing loft for couples and families, on a nature-filled estate in Piedmont

Amazing beaches, a pub you can hike to, a train to get you to Snowdonia... and your own remote cottage with stunning views

Created around a Georgian house, with lake, woodland and fields, this hotel and members' club offers great food, fresh air and much comfort

Foodies will love the irresistible cooking - along with local wine and a typically Tuscan setting. Bedrooms are pretty

Sofas in front of the fire, English wines and local ales, ambrosial food and smart rooms, all a short stroll from Sissinghurst Castle

Style abounds in this exquisite Côte d'Azur family getaway, where lazy days are whiled away by the pool and in the quiet bird-filled gardens

A big friendly farmhouse basking in light, with terraces, vineyards, pool and views to several horizons, good for family gatherings

An elegant, historical building in the heart of Catania - an intimate hotel, yet grand with gorgeous architecture and a wonderful welcome

Once a shooting lodge, this stand-alone big building was part of a medieval estate and you can still see the grassy mount and dungeon tower

Come for a big gathering of friends or family and take the whole house plus an extra cottage in the pretty gardens – swim in the pool, relax

Up in the hills, with Hay Bluff towering beside, this old stone house is sheltered in the valley with the brook rushing past to a waterfall