This is Somerset at its most quintessential: a thatched roofed, honey-coloured Hamstone cottage with a pretty courtyard garden; sleeps four

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

A beautiful cream stone building in the grounds of a grand château, with a large and view-filled outdoor terrace for peaceful dawdling

Come for a bright, roomy, uber-green and accessible larch-clad space with garden and pond in pretty countryside

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

Warm hospitable agriturismo for foodies, designers, wine enthusiasts and all who love the 'real' Sicily. A happy place for families, too

A dramatic house with stylish interiors – designed to bring the outdoors in so you feel wrapped in nature. Great for families or friends

This old stone building, a former olive warehouse, is beautifully restored and sits on its own – a simple bolthole for rest and recuperation

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

Come for super ridgeway walks and explore charming towns and villages from this pretty 18th-century cottage in the Chalke Valley

A newly-renovated barn in a picturesque Cotswold village with an enclosed front garden and the river Eye at the bottom of the drive

The Gautiers have the finest sense of how to treat guests: dreamy bedrooms, fantastic food & the pool beneath the orange trees is a delight

A real Roman treat of a place - step straight out into a colourful thrub of twisting streets, trattorie, boutiques, fountains, monuments

Comfortable and colourful villa, very much a family home, with glorious views, infinity pool and lovely gardens, just 3 minutes from town

A gem of a house in a lovely unspoilt village with an intelligent, interesting owner who gives you delicious food and local wines

Five tranquil apartments surrounded by Tuscan countryside just over half an hour's drive from Siena – hire them all for a group holiday

Relaxed, bohemian vibe out in the wilds yet close to civilization. An organic garden and woodland yurt add to the convivial, communal idyll

Popular with families, this Glen of Rannoch mountain-view cottage with a homely atmosphere is a cheerful place to stay year-round