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

Welcoming Julia fans passions for Arlesienne cuisine and culture in her art-stuffed Provence home where everything catches the eye!

A large, attractive 18th-century house with sweeping lawns, outdoor seating areas and two free-standing baths by an ivy-clad wall

If houses could smile, this 1850 townhouse would be beaming - grand for groups, with four terraces, two living rooms and a plunge pool

Swing off the main road through the village, up into the hills along a narrow track and through a gate, observed by curious sheep

Agriturismo at its best - delightful hosts, communal meals of superb home-grown food, homely rooms, a garden filled with fragrant flowers...

Perfect for lovers of the quintessentially English cottage - carefully renovated and classily stylish - a ramble to nearest pub

An 18th-century fisherman's cottage with garden at the end of a cobbled row, for happy seaside holidays with superb beaches nearby

Walk, ride, bike or canoe, climb a mountain, head for Hay, then return to a comfortable bar, warm bedrooms and delicious food

Gorgeous rooms and splendid breakfasts – for sybarites, history-lovers, cyclists and canoeists - bang in the middle of ancient Long Melford

A babbling brook, the sound of birdsong and centuries of history steeped into the walls of this medieval barn, plus a heated indoor pool

Top-notch apartments in the heart of old Jérez for couples and families on the bodega trail. A daily market in town and fab beaches near by

Quirky, rustic cabin nuzzled by vines and greenery – perfect for lovers, writers and peace-seekers. Take long walks, stroll to the pub

5 minutes from the Vatican in a tall palazzo above the British school. Owners share local tips, serve bakery-fresh breakfasts on the terrace

A beautiful rural escape for couples or families with the delights of the Cotswolds all around. Dogs very welcome too

An 1800s former watermill, now elegantly converted to give B&B rooms plus a self-catering cottage in the Côte d'Opale, superb for walking

In four acres of garden and woodland (a child’s dream) a house and interlinking barn for 10 guests. Secluded but close to everything

Come for big open skies, sweeping beaches and the charming towns of north Norfolk from this pretty flintstone cottage in Docking village