A Renaissance farmhouse in a secret Welsh valley with a stunning garden. Sleep under soaring beams, enjoy peace and warm hospitality

Leave the car, everything is walkable & buses are practically free. Visit restaurants, vineyards & markets from your lofty village bolthole

Independent B&B in an ancient hamlet with modern interiors, immaculate bedrooms and a pleasant wooden terrace for sunny days

If you need a great place in which to relax and don’t want to pay too much for it, try these excellent suites, which spoil you all the way

An elegantly renovated coaching inn with inspired design, beautifully simple pub food, tempting ales and gloriously comfortable bedrooms

Inland Algarve, away from the crowds – this gorgeous house with pool and gardens is a haven for families and friends

A spacious and bright old sandstone farm building with private garden, all one one level and with lovely views over fields and countryside

Portuguese elegance, artistic décor, breakfast on a fountain'd patio or by the fire: a treat. Step out to a kaleidoscope of Lisbon city life

Tradition and comfort on the border with Wales, a welcoming country-house hotel with warm rooms, pretty gardens and delicious food

Furniture from home-grown wood, reclaimed tiles - beautiful. The Jurassic Coast is near, Bridport's antiques, too. Cycle, walk, spot birds

A fascinating place steeped in history and abuzz with prize-winning winery activity. Plus rustic cottages, golf, a restaurant and 2 pools

On a farmstead near Ronda where views stretch for miles are 2 houses, one old, one new, brilliant for families, sharing a fabulous pool

View-filled apartments in Ortigia, the heart of Siracusa. Immerse yourself in the blue of the Ionian Sea; walk to culture, shops and restaurants

You're only a whisper away from history in this family-run château, where rose gardens, sumptuous bedrooms and generous breakfasts wait

A hilltop setting for this ancient fortress with an illustrious past. You stay in apartments or farmhouses inside or outside the walls

A calm, leafy bolthole in one of Paris' most elegant districts. Step out to stylish boutiques, good bakeries – and the Eiffel Tower

A 17th-century townhouse sitting on a quiet side street with lots of original features and a west-facing patio screened by vines and lemons