You have your own entrance to a private wing with a garden and an elegant sitting room. Bedrooms are beautiful and breakfast scrumptious

If you want to come to Venice as an open-hearted traveller rather than a tourist then this is the place for you - just walk to everything

A timbered, fire-warmed village farmhouse, home-grown dinners, delightfully French hosts. Deliciously authentic, generous and calm

An authentic, charming and spacious home with garden, pool and lake, deep in the Dordogne valley and decorated with uncluttered elegance

Large, unpretentious and very comfortable family house in splendid isolation with swimming pool, tennis court and well-tended gardens

Charming cottage in a vast garden with a swimming pool and boule; walk to the nearest village, drive to Côte d'Azur in less than an hour

A lovely 19th-century stone mas with south-facing terrace, garden and pool for relaxed family holidays, just off the D99 in a small hamlet

A tranquil and tucked-away feel for this terraced cottage with private patio, communal garden and plenty of room for six

In a small village on the borders, a Jacobean farmhouse luxuriously restored with lovely touches; the Brecon Beacons are close by

Spacious house with a big garden, a swimming pool and all home comforts; the beach and good restaurants are less than 10 minutes away

Like staying in a family home, only with Henri III furniture and rolling green views. Energetic hosts cook, farm, hunt, chat over champagne

An old-world inn full of colour, with open fires, cosy rooms, local food and the magnificent Northumberland National Park all around

Superb views, generous hosts and roof terrace sunsets in a peaceful village between coast and countryside – authentic and full of charm

A cosy bolt hole near medieval Cartmel with woods, meadows and wildlife – great for walkers in this quiet part of the South Lakes

Relaxed, friendly bistro in the heart of Frome with boutique bedrooms above. Open all day - continental breakfasts and a classic French menu

Big house in peaceful lush oasis among the bananas, vines and aloe vera, a 20-minute walk down into Funchal