A charming comfy cottage with wood burner, delicious hilly views, walks radiating from the door. We didn’t want to leave!

Former hunting lodge with a swimming pool on a 700-acre wine estate in the Valdera surrounded by vineyards and authentic villages

For walkers and lovers of wildly beautiful coastal country: two cosy old cottages and a bright, modern renovation in a cluster with others

A sprint from London: a Cotswolds pub modernised with sympathy and care. Happy staff, organic ales and food, gorgeous rooms

It's not often you get an entire hamlet to yourselves but here it is – 10 traditional stone houses with big communal spaces in rural bliss

A rustic-chic bolthole with bird's eye views to gaze at from your bedroom and the beautiful garden, tucked in a quaint hamlet in Maremma

Gaze over to glorious Curemonte from the pretty cottage, loll by the pool, play games in the barn. Bring friends and book the main house too

An elegant medieval manor in the Loire with spiral stone staircases, mullioned windows, jaunty turrets and a fairytale suite just for you

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

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

Find a stunning entrance hall and quirky interiors at this colourful and comfortable 1890 olive mill sitting pretty in the National Park

Take the road less travelled as you climb into the Welsh hills to discover this lovely 16th-century farmhouse full of family history

Wonderful views of the Cantabrian Sea, locally sourced food and fine bedrooms at a boutique hotel on the Asturian coast

An 1820s farmhouse at the end of a quiet road in the North York Moors National Park, overlooking a forest and surrounded by fields

Three lovely places to stay - come for much charm, peace, sunsets, infinity pool, sauna and gym in this history-steeped countryside retreat

Visit the walled city of Evora, have dinner with the friendliest hosts, pet the dogs & donkeys. Head out for culture, vineyards and menhirs

Chill under poolside palm trees or lose yourself in novels on super comfy armchairs. Funchal with its colourful markets is within easy reach

Rest, restore, and explore... from this smart, successful Cotswolds’ gastropub with ancient beams, roaring fires and truly pretty bedrooms