Traditional Provencal farmhouse with a large garden and a swimming pool. Historic villages with markets and great restaurants close by

Hospitable Jorge and Clotilde love nothing more than sharing their colourful, chaotic old house with guests. The farm produce is fabulous

10 minutes from La Rochelle, a place of peace and style. From scrumptious breakfasts to a splash in the pool, your hosts are eager to please

A smart launch pad for visiting all things Champagne-related and Reims with its enchanting cathedral. All is cosy, luxurious...

A 200-year-old village house surrounded by vineyards. Light-filled interiors, lots of art, a garden and your own sparkling pool

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

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

Small country hotel in a riverside setting near Giverny, with a superb restaurant and a charming village a few minutes’ walk away

A cosy bolthole on a scenic estate with red kites soaring overhead and views to Bannau Brycheiniog (Brecon Beacons) - the walking is sublime

There’s a Tuscan feel to this lovely, family-friendly place – walk to the sound of cicadas, stargaze, visit vineyards, markets and castles

A lovingly restored 19th-century farmhouse sitting between the Galtees and Ballyhouras, with a hot tub waiting at day's end

A striking modern villa tucked away off a small road above the Serchio valley with sparkling pool, gardens and Apuan mountain views

A rustic and elegant farmhouse retreat in Provence with a pool, vineyards and wildlife-filled pond – a launchpad for the Luberon

Lovingly renovated farmhouse amid vines and sunflowers, deep in the Charente countryside - small pool in garden, beaches 45 minutes away.

A luxurious springboard for the wineries, villages and treasures of south Tuscany in the magical Orcia valley - if you can bear to leave it!

Peaceful converted barn on a remote working farm – pet the donkeys, wild swim and row on the lake, warm up around the wood-burner

A super old place for those who love history and Thomas Hardy. Come for enjoyable gastropub food and comfortable, traditional bedrooms

A gorgeous house with oodles of original features, a lovely garden and the owners' pub, farm shop, brewery and spa a short walk