Elegant rooms behind a popular village pub with country walks from the door, and the spectacular Peak District and stately homes nearby

Like staying in a family home, only with Henri III furniture and rolling green views. Energetic hosts cook, farm, hunt, chat over champagne

A lovely 1650 Welsh longhouse, beamed and flagstoned with a verdant garden in a totally unspoilt spot in the Snowdonia National Park

A medieval monastery, stunningly revived, in untouristy, car-free Pisciotta. Sip greco on the terrace; scramble through olives to the sea

A cosy bolthole near Paris's best museums, monuments and churches. A peaceful sleep and simple buffet breakfast set you up for sightseeing

An enchanting escape immersed in nature yet only 40 minutes by train into the Eternal City for art and history-filled days

An ancient coaching inn opposite the church in the prettiest village – just the ticket for weary travellers who deserve nurturing

Stone farmhouse on a country estate, family-run for centuries. Views of the towered gatehouse, pool and tennis court, a walk to the river...

Walkers and wild-lifers, here is your place in the Pyrenees. Colour, character, a welcoming family, log fires and delicious home cooking

A family-run 1700s thatched Inn in a rural hamlet with super food, a grand team to look after you and picnic benches in a pretty garden

Plenty of uncluttered easy space both in and out by the private pool - children love the freedom - great wine, food, and cycling country

Ensconce yourselves in the Black Périgord and stay in the East Wing of a 16th-century castle with private garden and surrounding parkland

A fine old house packed with grand old things above Portree Bay in the middle of Skye - homely bedrooms, some huge, are a treat

A gem of a house in a lovely unspoilt village with an intelligent, interesting owner who gives you delicious food and local wines

A beguiling retreat for a couple or a family of four – feel cosy and secluded in a thatched cottage close to the coast

Tucked at the bottom of a long track and surrounded by a gorgeous natural landscape, is this generous end-slice of a 17th-century stone farm

A lovely listed cottage, just stumbling distance from a good pub in a quiet village surrounded by spectacular walking and cycling country

A deliciously rural stone house with charmingly simple rustic-chic interiors and saline pool - an hour from Perugia