A stone built 18th-century tower in a pretty valley dotted with fruit trees for quiet and relaxed days recuperating from life in the city

A delightful holiday home for a big family or group of close friends. Children and dogs can charge about safely, you can unwind completely

Contemporary studio in a classic Cotswold village. Peaceful bolthole for creatives and walkers - with shops, cafés and pubs a stroll away

Get to know Lisbon with ease from this generous and comfortable townhouse hotel bang in the middle of the city centre

Follow in Picasso’s footsteps and spin up to vibrant Sheffield for a night at this stunning hotel, where flawless bedrooms wait

Come to stay in a lovely old house surrounded by an important garden created by three generations of brilliant women gardeners

1820s cottage with long views, a lovely garden and generous extras. Alnwick is close and miles of white sandy beaches with dunes

Great for comfort, beauty, character and home baking. Borrow vintage bikes to explore Cambridge: Christine knows it inside out

Homely furnishings and 17th-century charm at this estate on the Severn, whose owners are mad about horses and give you fine home produce

Leave crowds behind for this charming stone farmhouse in the olive groves of rural Umbria – bring friends and have it all to yourselves

Come on down to this working farm for delicious organic food, an on-site sourdough bakery and crisp bedrooms in a pretty farmhouse

Explore the coastal paths on foot or by bike, or simply sunbathe next to the pool... Leafy gardens, comfortable rooms and excellent dinners

Set off on blissful walks, trek home to crumpets and tea. There’s no better place to escape the 21st century than rural Devon

A modern, beautifully refurbished inn set in smart gardens, overlooking the village pond and surrounded by Hampshire hills for grand walks

If you need a great place in which to relax and don’t want to pay too much for it, try these excellent suites, which spoil you all the way

An ivy-covered old mill, newly restored as an inn with a relaxed feel, acres of manicured grounds, comfortable bedrooms and great food

Fall asleep to the sound of the sea in your dreamy thatched cottage, one of 6, right on the beach for those head-clearing walks...

Immerse yourself, luxuriously, in beautiful rural Picardy – mirabelle jam, peaceful parkland, walking in the hills – near historic Amiens