A delight to stay in this 1880s croft house on the quieter west coast - fabulous vegetarian and vegan food, thoughtful rooms, lovely owners

A period manor and pretty rooms in old stables: a quiet base for Pas-de-Calais and Picardie. Madame loves the house, animals, story-telling

Superbly comfortable house with beamed rooms, lovely views, club-like morning room, antiques, terrace, pool, fitness centre and lily pond

Music evenings, pop-up theatre nights and great food at the Sash brasserie. You’re just a stroll from shops and bars

History, elegance and art combine in this special spot near the Louvre. Wonderful staff too. Relax - take breakfast in bed

Vast rooms, thick stone walls and ancient flagged floors skilfully modernised to create comfort, surrounded by romantic château gardens

A pretty upside-down cottage, formerly a dovecote, lovingly restored with sustainability the focus

A cracking English inn with open fires, great food, gorgeous rooms, happy staff, lovely gardens and well-kept English ales

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 light larch-clad space for lovers, or a retreat for walkers and writers in pretty Orford, once a medieval sea port but now on the river

Nestled in lovely grounds, this country pub serves up cracking food and real ales. Wonderful walks nearby, comfy rooms to rest for the night

2 lakes, streams, landscaped gardens, woodlands and waterfalls... a paradise for families, nature lovers, peace-seekers and birdwatchers

In the National Park with all its glories (Ashbourne for antiques, Chatsworth for history, Bakewell for its market), a sweet village cottage

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

A hop to Montpellier, but deep in the countryside: a romantic pad, with Moroccan rugs, ochre-limed walls and bikes to ride into the country

A warm family and starlit suppers in a grand estate by Soller, near wildflower walks and beaches. Citrus mingles with exotic fragrances

A luxurious springboard for the wineries, villages and treasures of south Tuscany in the magical Orcia valley - if you can bear to leave it!