A real treat to stay in this elegant 18th-century house with pampering bedrooms, gorgeous home-cooked food and stunning gardens with pool

Old wooden sleigh beds, check-clothed tables, log fires, a courtyard of centuries-old trees, a claw foot bath. Stacks of character

Fall asleep to the sound of the sea in your dreamy thatched cottage, one of 6, right on the beach for those head-clearing walks...

Hilltop château on the edge of a small village half an hour from Saint-Émilion, with a lovely garden, a swimming pool and two lakes

Smart country inn in Constable country with lovely rooms and food - grab a picnic, hire a boat and drift along the river Stour

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

Beautifully connected, engagingly old-fashioned London pad, with a garden. Head out for Vauxhall Park, the Tate, Westminster...

3 lovely cottages in the heart of Cognac vines for cosy nights by the fire and summer barbecues by the pool

You’re in the heart of untamed countryside here, beside the river Oise, welcomed by friendly hosts who cook and care for you

Foodies and sociable souls will enjoy this lively B&B in a pretty honey-coloured stone cottage with a garden and a very friendly owner

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

A great spot for two plus two, with a decked area that gazes on copses, stream and treehouse. Wallow your cares away in the hot tub

Atmospheric English pub with rooms by the green with its duck ponds in a pretty village, with walking and cycling routes to join

Plenty of restful, comfortable space indoors and out in the Mediterranean garden with its courtyard pool – restaurants to walk to

Lively renovation for this 18th-century cottage built of local stone and with a large garden in Modbury. Totnes and sandy beaches are close

An organic farm near coast, village and Etna – super for families, done in simple good taste. Laze in the hammock, visit the coast...

Immaculate Cotswold beauty with great food, welcoming staff, handsome rooms and a sun-trap terrace, plus countryside walks from the door

Rural bliss at the end of the lane: a cottage for 2 with wine and local biscuits in the hamper and farmers’ markets within a 5-mile drive