Leave the car, everything is walkable & buses are practically free. Visit restaurants, vineyards & markets from your lofty village bolthole

Four pretty apartments perfect for groups. A natural swimming pool, animals roaming and walking distance from a summer boat to the beaches!

Plunge into real Spain from this ancient village house with very modern interiors, stunning views, a cooling pool and a hop from restaurants

Elegance and ease mark this gentle group of Loire-Valley buildings, with soft-textured interiors and the owners’ fine hospitality and food

A craft brewery in Italy? What a wonderful surprise! Three explorer-themed rooms, a brewpub, pizzeria, pool, cookery classes and events

On the doorstop, Dovedale, Buxton, Chatsworth House... Come home to snooker, books, logs, a patio with views and masses of lovely space

A three storey house and garden with sea glimpses in the 'vieux village' named for the Mimosa trees which flower in profusion in winter

A smartly renovated 250-year-old brick and flint built inn, tucked away in a sleepy village beneath the glorious South Downs

João & Ana Luisa's stunning cottages superbly blend contemporary and traditional styles. Vineyards, beaches and restaurants are all close

Magical sunshine-filled grounds with olive trees, palms, cacti and carob surround the charmingly-coloured stone of these 1750 farm buildings

Surrounded by wildlife and water, this ultra-modern house has huge windows, white walls and designer furnishings. Blissfully remote

A 13th-century mill with immaculate interiors and a whiff of luxury. Look out to the river, birds, tall trees, and Pézenas up the hill

Two lovely cottages with a fresh, modern style, private terrace, tranquil communal gardens with an orchard and pool

A gem of a house; spacious, warm and hidden in a lush garden. Get together with friends to explore medieval villages and the Costa Brava

Head inland for grand walking or to the glorious coast from this very pretty cottage with a private garden, suitable and safe for dogs

Come here in the summer (it’s closed Nov-April except by arrangement) for candlelit dining, chintzy bedrooms, long views over the park...

What a surprise! Tucked into a row of tightly woven old cottages is this contemporary open-plan hideaway with huge windows and much flair

A niftily restored, open-plan, beamed hayloft, just the ticket for romantics, with gorgeous views of fields and open countryside