Swap the mêlée for privacy and wonderful views. Delicious meals, an outdoor hot tub and Portes du Soleil skiing on your doorstep

Apartments with a designer touch in a peaceful, evocative setting; private gardens, intimate terraces, infinity pool, stunning lake views and a gourmet restaurant

An old farm worker's cottage, niftily done up and nicely remote, with walking and fishing on the doorstep, four miles from Hadrian's Wall

Come for glorious walking countryside and warm fuss-free Sally, who gives you freshly baked scones when you arrive and beautiful bedrooms

High in Ávila's unspoilt nature is this stylish, eco-brilliant family hotel: mountains, massages, pool, organic dinners...a special escape

Manor house in the grounds of a quintessential 18th-century French château with pretty gardens and lots of space just 3kms from Bayeux

A seamless blend of ancient and modern in this architect-designed villa with infinity pool and veranda for admiring the wonderful views

An incredible living museum, dedicated to the history of Sicily and the arts. Stay in the main house or in a cottage in the fecund garden

A solid 1704 farmhouse with a peaceful, welcoming feel on the edge of a small hamlet with two acres of gardens set in glorious countryside

An inspirational setting and an enthusiastic welcome from your hosts and their young family - lose your heart to its baroque beauty

A peaceful, very stylish bolthole for 2 on the doorstep of glorious Holyrood Park, with Edinburgh’s sights a stroll away

Peaceful Basque farmhouse turned smart country B&B, only 20 minutes from restaurants and museums in Bilbao and unspoiled sandy beaches

An immaculately restored 1500s palazzo, filled with history, art, antiques and books in the buzzing heart of a charming town

A lovely gîte, once a hunting lodge, with two private terraces overlooking the manicured gardens of an 1830s manor house

A rustic haven in Vouvray wine country: bask on sun beds near the elegant pool, cosy up to the wood-burner, relax in your beautiful bedroom

Picturesque cottage in the grounds of a grand manor, lovingly and creatively restored by its welcoming English owner

Beauty, charm and tranquillity an hour from Florence, on a bio-sensitive farm known for Chianina cattle and white truffles

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