Dinner fresh from the garden with your creative hosts is an absolute delight. Roam unspoilt countryside, visit châteaux and vineyards galore

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

All the luxuries that make a B&B very special - wonderful food, smart rooms and a garden replete with pool, orchard, tennis and lake

Your own wing of an impressive 1700 baronial castle, restored with authenticity and with a lovely garden, wildlife and a little river

Charming, simple and elegant B&B with a lovely garden and kind owners in an area renowned for its good wine and food

Tranquillity and comfort in a guesthouse in the Marche countryside - airy rooms for couples with huge windows onto good views

A charming base in historic Beaulieu - expect delicious food, traditional country-house interiors, and walks that start from the front door

Style abounds in this exquisite Côte d'Azur family getaway, where lazy days are whiled away by the pool and in the quiet bird-filled gardens

A soothing, deeply romantic bolthole with simple interiors and its own little private garden, next to a winery and surrounded by vineyards

Gorgeous small hotel perfectly placed for the magical Dales - stylish bedrooms, open fires, lovely staff and pretty gardens all wait

Two lovely places to stay down by the shore of Clew Bay for much peace, space and modern comforts in a magical watery world

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

Come for Tudor beams, a sunny roof terrace and the bustle of Lewes in this beautifully restored coaching inn

A stylish, canal-side inn – you get Sunday lunch, tow paths that lead into Edinburgh, then a pretty garden and cute rooms

An elegant manor house with pretty bedrooms, pool and large grounds. Nathalie looks after you with ease and sets you up with big breakfasts

This small hotel with pool has elegant communal spaces, spoiling bedrooms, kind staff, delicious food and panoramic mountain views

Stylish barn in the Slaughters – footpaths from the door, idyllic Cotswolds villages to explore. Head home for garden drinks and barbecues