A cool pub with smart rooms, English ales and Thai-inspired food. Farringdon tube is round the corner and you can walk to the Barbican

Two riverside properties with incredible views, for walkers, sailors, dogs... and self-caterers who aim to be spoiled rotten

What a setting! Gentle terraces, gardens, meadows and jaw-dropping views of Mont Blanc - just metres from Courmayeur

Deep in Burgundy's wine country, an elegant maison de maître sits in acres of gloriously private parkland

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

Perfect for lovers of the quintessentially English cottage - carefully renovated and classily stylish - a ramble to nearest pub

Fall in love with this riverside village, lost in a valley in lower Normandy, and this sunny house for couples or families

Elegant country château with a family feel, for big groups with or without children, and those who seek inspiration

Sheep's Head Way is reputedly one of the best walks in Ireland. Come back to roaring fires, a Rayburn, art and style – terrific restorations

Slow down, discover the quieter side of the island - volcanic rocks, clear seas from hidden beaches and César Manrique's Jardín de Cactus

Secluded place with home-grown food, much peace and walks by the river for a couple (or small family). Courses and solo retreats too

Beautifully connected, engagingly old-fashioned London pad, with a garden. Head out for Vauxhall Park, the Tate, Westminster...

A townhouse with a walled garden by the church in a peaceful village where friendly Scottish owners feed and look after you well

A stone building designed by Sir John Soane in the stable yard of this historic and beautiful estate with deer park and woodland gardens

A stylish, canal-side inn – you get Sunday lunch, tow paths that lead into Edinburgh, then a pretty garden and cute rooms

At the foot of the Cambrian Mountains, an ancient whitewashed cottage with cosy, light-flooded interiors – a perfect rural bolthole for two

You'll feel at home in this immaculate yet cosy 1800s brick and pantile cottage with a pretty patio and stunning views across the Lincolnshire Wolds

A rural farmhouse B&B with view-filled bedrooms, hearty breakfasts and walks from the door. The Dowies are generous hosts