For families who love a Great British beach holiday, this beach-side cottage on Hayling Island near Portsmouth is just the ticket

A sleek, light-filled, beautifully designed, minimalist space for 4 with wrap-around views from the living room and pool

A homespun inn with irresistible prices in a tiny village deep in the country - the river Tweed is close, fishing can be arranged

A gorgeous old gardener's house in grand Belle Epoque style, filled with every comfort and sitting in the grounds of a magnificent château

A village setting for this family-friendly cottage-in-a-row with private garden next to the owners' pretty 17th-century thatched house

A wisteria-laden pergola shades the sunny side of the farmhouse - in gentle olive country near the Sibillini Park, not far from the Adriatic

A lovely modern Provençal house, light and welcoming, in a valley of vineyards and forest, tucked peacefully away from the coast

Generous simplicity and organic farm cooking in this rustic Tuscan farm with library, yoga, family apartments and natural lily-dotted pond

A very pretty Victorian gothic house of limestone and brick, sitting peacefully on the edge of the village, eight miles from foodie Ludlow

A unique opportunity to switch off and unwind in a simple, historic cottage with a terraced, bucolic garden surrounded by wooded hills

A pretty retreat in the grounds of a romantic château – you have your own walled garden, with terrace, pool and sunbathing area

Superbly comfortable house with beamed rooms, lovely views, club-like morning room, antiques, terrace, pool, fitness centre and lily pond

A peaceful, harmonious house with roots in the 14th century, a glorious enclosed pool area and a huge amount of space for happy gatherings

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

At the foot of the Cambrian Mountains, an ancient whitewashed cottage with cosy, light-flooded interiors – a perfect rural bolthole for two

A stroll from the village, this comfy house in its terraced garden comes with a keen-cook's kitchen, a generous terrace and pool

Glorious airy living space in this superbly restored barn, a terrace with long views and a pool across the garden - bikes to borrow too

Glamour, warmth and style in a renovated wine warehouse in a cool quarter of Bordeaux - France’s most popular city after Paris