Enjoy views over the lake, eat good food in the restaurant, sleep in antique-filled bedrooms, have a proper rest

In a quiet, ancient country town – outdoor breakfasts and indoor style: trompe l’oeil decorations, frescoes, vaulted panelled ceilings

Light and sunny annexe with your own entrance in the centre of vibrant Buckfastleigh with lovely gardens, for couples plus a child or two

From the delicious scented garden with its limestone pool to the cool rooms with perfect linen, this is a place for a special occasion

Enjoy fields of lavender and vines as far as the eye can see from this neat cottage, sharing a pool and gorgeous gardens with other guests

Warmth and comfort on the Pink Granite Coast where the wind and waves lull you to sleep, and bedrooms overlook the cedars or the sea

Quaint barns dotted among truffle oaks and rosemary, each one constructed the old-fashioned way and close to the Dordogne and Vézère

Steam in the hot tub, gaze over crashing waves or later stars. Inside is swish, kids play in their games room, dinner is in view of the sea

Comfortable and cosy B&B with superb food, tucked away on a dairy farm in the very quietest part of Pembrokeshire near the coast path

Georgian country house with rustic charm and a home-from-home feel. In the heart of Wiltshire just outside historic town Bradford-on-Avon

A cosy cottage on a farm down a long winding track, wonderfully rural with footpaths across fields or along the canal

Wild and peaceful small hotel bordering National Park of Guadarrama. Listen to birdsong, hike in the sierra, spend the day in Segovia

A fine old stone mill, the river rushing by, kingfishers, kayaking, swimming: it’s a dream place with Provence and the Cévennes at the door

An ancient manor from the middle ages, built against a stone cliff with extensive terraced grounds, pool and parkland filled with wildlife

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

Come for an oasis of peace - no crowds in the National Park, just olive groves, mountain views and tranquil nature

A spacious, luxurious family retreat, remote but close to Audierne. Watch surfers shoot the waves as seagulls wheel above

At the end of a long drive, a converted stable building on a private estate sits among Madiran's vineyards with the Pyrenees not far away