Fine linens, cool pool and a barbecue for this soothing barn renovation in a dreamy corner of Tuscany. Friendly owners can cook on request

Food grown, foraged and prepared with care, a carefully curated wine list, roaring fires and very comfortable bedrooms to sink into

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 farm worker's cottage, niftily done up and nicely remote, with walking and fishing on the doorstep, four miles from Hadrian's Wall

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

Steps from the sea in get-away-from-it-all scenery – half an hour’s walk from St Ives’ arty heart. Sleeps 4 with pull-out beds for 2 more

Lovely views from this converted farmhouse in peaceful Lot countryside, with terrace, sheltered pool and nine acres of grounds to explore

An immaculately restored old inn with generous bedrooms, great food, ale and wine. Locals love it as much as those who make it a destination

Spacious farmhouse with annexe, great for gatherings with family and friends. Fabulous walks and endless views over the Eglwysbach valley

Vast house on an ancient Roman site with big terraced garden and pool. Grand yet homely, with air-con, spa and only 8 km to the city

Exceptional generosity reigns at this complex of 5 excellent, colourful holiday apartments, with pool and meals, on the Sorrento Peninsula

A luxurious springboard for the wineries, villages and treasures of south Tuscany in the magical Orcia valley - if you can bear to leave it!

An 18th-century converted barn with lofty beamed ceilings, exposed stonework, handmade oak windows and much art – pretty garden too

It's quiet among the lavender plants... bees humming, sun shining. Splash in the shared pool, visit lovely villages, taste local wines

Gather family or friends and take both villa and cottage. The terraces and gardens have long views, the pool is roomy and the peace palpable

In a small town in Salento is a cool southern house of elegant simplicity, ideal for a large family, near to beaches & 45 minutes from Lecce

Near Southwold beach, bird reserves and Suffolk castles, a peaceful getaway with orchard, views and generous breakfasts. Good value

A rural haven in a lovely garden with comfortable bedrooms, brilliant breakfasts and bikes for hire – explore the Parque Natural