A smart riverside inn with airy interiors that brim with character – old beams, open fires, well-kept ales and comfy bedrooms

Families will adore coming here, to reconnect through wonderful outdoor activities in glorious countryside and to feel cossetted indoors

A beautifully restored old coaching inn with a vibrant, bustling atmosphere, great food, friendly staff and super-swish bedrooms

This lovely, beamy, uncluttered Tuscan farmhouse with separate apartment is an elegant lodging on a vast fruitful estate with pool, and lovely owners

A rare treat, 700 metres above sea level and girdled by forests, waterfalls, chestnuts and olives, this is the place to come for solace

A very pretty old coach house in a south London garden – perfect for a couple or a family. Friendly owners live across the courtyard

You're only a whisper away from history in this family-run château, where rose gardens, sumptuous bedrooms and generous breakfasts wait

Sumptuous and pampering with monogrammed sheets and frescoed walls.More for honeymooners and couples than lolly-licking tots

Grade II-listed country hotel with lovely gardens and an excellent restaurant, a short walk from Ambleside and the top of Lake Windermere

Take in the stunning views, explore the narrow medieval lanes and soak up the old-world charm of one of France’s most beautiful villages

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

This civilised bolthole offers a quiet retreat, castle views and the magic of Edinburgh on your doorstep

Between Florence and Siena, stay in one of five stylish apartments on a family-run agriturismo; they delight in sharing this slice of heaven

Proper village pub with much-praised food and cosy rooms; country walks lead from the door and Oxford is half an hour away

A delightful old Quinta within a Quinta. Find banana trees, vines and lots of greenery within a 20-minute walk of the centre of town

Serious art, lovely lighting, great sound system and a fat wood-burner belting out the heat at this super place for families or friends

A Victorian house on a 5000 acre estate, snazzily renovated and tucked down a track with a private lake, in the quieter part of Cumbria

Old meets new seamlessly here: ancient stone, lofty beams, good comfort, wood-burner, Jacuzzi/spa and space to relax in the designer garden