Your own cottage sitting room downstairs and a swish bedroom up – breakfast in the courtyard before venturing forth to discover Canterbury

A stylish, refined 17th-century house off a quiet street with its own garden and lots of generous surprises, a short hop to everything

Towering 5 storeys above lively Palermo, a gracious B&B with sunlit rooms, lovely Sicilian hosts and breakfast in fine china on the terrace

For retreats, groups of friends, and big families: come to recharge the senses at this special and ancient house enveloped by wild gardens

Come for an exceptionally inviting 17th-century Inn, a chocolate-box Cotswold village, excellent local food and ales, very comfortable rooms

Provençal charm floats through the ground floor of this 18th-century home in a vineyard near Lorgues. Walk, cycle, swim in the pool, enjoy the peace

Kate makes you feel at home the moment you enter her great big beloved house - full of books, guitars and a piano, antiques and huge spaces

Unwind and feel part of the family in beautiful rural Yorkshire. The farmhouse is rambling and peaceful, rooms are comfy, breakfast generous

A serene riverside retreat on the Lot, with manicured gardens and a shared pool, tennis court and children's playground for socialising

In a chocolate-box village just an hour on the train, and a short hop in a taxi, from London is this foodie inn with pretty bedrooms

Superb, all-organic agriturismo built of straw bales and offering wonderful home-grown natural food, a delightful family, great walking

25 sleek cabins by a shimmering lake, a clubhouse with rooms, restaurants, gym, pool and activities galore around these 1000 acres of wild nature

Lovely small hotel in quirky market town surrounded by miles of stunning country - pretty rooms, tasty food and fine ales wait

Gorgeous scenic views from this relaxed and friendly B&B tucked in a tiny hamlet in the Dordogne near Bergerac

Walkers, bikers, families and nature fans will love staying with ever-helpful Joan and Montse in this secluded but not too remote valley

A delightful harled stone and wood house yards from the sea with glorious hills behind, for walkers, dreamers, nature lovers and adventurers

Smart property on the 500-acre Farncombe Estate near Chipping Campden, with activities to suit all ages and a hot tub on the terrace

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