Close to Hexham's centre, a quietly charismatic Victorian home with fresh flowers, homemade bread, sunny courtyard and a friendly little dog

A small top terrace can be booked for romantic evenings and you can lunch or dinner at the delightful floating restaurant

Taste the wine, plunge into the granite pool, play billiards in the library, linger outdoors as swallows swoop – eat delicious local dishes

A roomy, open-plan space for romantics, with complete privacy but with pub, bakery and views of the market garden from your own terrace

If you want to come to Venice as an open-hearted traveller rather than a tourist then this is the place for you - just walk to everything

A spick and span little hideaway full of character in a manor estate cottage. Explore the gardens, walk to the beach in 25 minutes

A light, spacious villa in the colonial style designed for easy indoor/outdoor living, with garden, pool and the beach just a short stroll

Lovingly renovated farmhouse amid vines and sunflowers, deep in the Charente countryside - small pool in garden, beaches 45 minutes away.

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

Friendly pub in rural village near Cambridge with strong community feel, great local food, garden, snug room and fresh, pretty bedrooms

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

Gaze over sublime vistas, refresh in the plunge pool, cook up a barbecue treat. A Provençal studio, simply furnished and deeply relaxing

This fine old inn stands in blissful peace, a field or two back from the coastal path, with cosy rooms, delicious food and a rustic style

Converted barn with the most welcoming owners – the garden and pool are all yours; explore a less touristy part of the Dordogne

Unwind in glorious Northumberland with beaches, proper dunes, ancient castles and two cosy cottages with open fires, sea views and gardens

Bedrooms are gorgeous, the wild ocean is close, and the people of Galicia are friendly and caring. You’ll pick up the same vibe here

A beautiful villa with a medieval tower surrounded by formal gardens, gentle slopes of perfectly maintained vineyards and wooded hilltops