A sweet retreat for a nature-loving couple, with soul-searching views and the smell of the sea. Logs and Breton cider are on the house...

Old meets new in Benoit’s charming villa with courtyard pool, breakfasts to linger over and all the fun of La Baule on the doorstep

A sweet cottage on the estate of celebrated artist Sir Sidney Nolan's former home with 250 acres to explore - a Sawday's Community Champion

Rare as a bird, a proper old fashioned French inn on the side of the road in a sleepy village, a restoration project for the new owners

A very peaceful, family-run hotel on the shores of Lake Garda with rose and jasmine-scented gardens for summer dinners by candlelight

Close to Saint-Jean-d'Angély, an elegant and spacious manor house with unfussy, comfortable interiors, bucolic views, big garden and pool

An 1820s farmhouse at the end of a quiet road in the North York Moors National Park, overlooking a forest and surrounded by fields

Heart-soaring Pyrenean views, animals roaming, natural materials in simple rural rooms, organic food: it’s a superbly welcoming eco-lodge

There’s a calm feel to this three-storey cottage, close to the centre of Bridport and the beach. Great for families, walkers and dogs

Deep in Calvados near vibrant Caen, a cider barn with stylish bedrooms, quirky objets, a bar in the salon. Charming hosts welcome families

Wonderful views of the Cantabrian Sea, locally sourced food and fine bedrooms at a boutique hotel on the Asturian coast

Wine lovers adore this impeccably furnished château; lovely Anne meets and greets, Jean Christophe makes wine and takes charge of tastings

Converted stables in the grounds of a manor house in a peaceful village just outside Banbury with lovely walking in the Cherwell Valley

Breathe, relax in peaceful Provençal countryside: olives, lavender and budding fruit trees. Aix's lively markets are 10 minutes away

An organic farm near coast, village and Etna – super for families, done in simple good taste. Laze in the hammock, visit the coast...

Garden and mountain views from this pretty villa for two - Lake Como shimmers below. Pick up morning pastries in picturesque Mezzegra

A peaceful grown-up place circled by meadows and woodland with helpful owners next door – a superb spot to explore the south-west

Bedrooms have seersucker linen, doors open to the countryside and Beaune is a hop away. David and Niels ensure a memorable stay