A relaxed and stylish hotel on the Norfolk coast with an impressive restaurant, sumptuous bedrooms and super staff

Grand and old and filled with history, the estate and such a pretty house are a tonic, as are the well-tended grounds and parkland

Stables turned into bright, comfortable holiday homes in countryside near Battle - for couples and families, whose dogs are very welcome too

A light-filled studio with a sweet private terrace on the estate of a 16th-century manor - river views, glorious gardens and pure peace

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

A nature-filled estate for smart lodge holidays in rural peace with woods and coast to explore, onsite activities and yummy homemade meals

Elegant Italian style in a sensitively-restored villa with sweeping views over rolling hills and forests

Glass-and-timber doors bathe you with light, gaze at big skies and the river Dart lapping. Sublime year round, it's one of our favourites

An impressive manor house set in gentle rolling countryside ten miles from Oxford with a delightful garden, warm hosts and organic breakfast

Outside a perfect bastide village, an elegant manoir for lazy days in the Dordogne, fabulous dinners and glorious gardens

In an outstanding area for lovers of food and wine, here are 3 beautiful boltholes in the Alto Douro, the oldest wine region in the world

An enchanting hideaway with sensational views in a flowery English semi-wild country garden, near Sissinghurst and Great Dixter

Stunning views from sunny bedrooms. Delightful lively hosts, good breakfasts with homemade jams, colour galore in the acre of garden

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

A lovely old 19th-century inn by the sea with hand-pumped ales, fresh local and seasonal food and spoiling bedrooms, some with sea views

A beautiful villa, a cabin, hut and a loft on the sunny side of the harbour and a stroll from the beach. Faultless finds!

Two restored mill buildings in the serene French countryside, with river views and artful interiors – a peaceful self-catering escape

Come for peace and quiet down a long lane, pretty buildings and big, beautifully-kept gardens with a secluded outdoor pool