A stunning château with huge rooms, pretty balconies with views, peaceful garden. Super owners, excellent dinners - and child-friendly too

An immaculately restored 1500s palazzo, filled with history, art, antiques and books in the buzzing heart of a charming town

An exquisite, serene B&B with sweeping views, tucked between hills, vineyards and meadows and the ancient remains of a Benedictine abbey

Explore country markets, churches and châteaux - return to a gite in private parkland with an artist's studio on site, and a blissful pool

Lovely views from this converted farmhouse in peaceful Lot countryside, with terrace, sheltered pool and nine acres of grounds to explore

For escapists, wannabe writers and lovers of rural bliss: two boho hideaways for two (four at a squeeze) in this lush corner of Galicia

In the heart of the East Sussex countryside, a fun community inn, with rustic-historic bedrooms, scrumptious food, and a great welcome for dogs

Genuine hosts, fabulous food, a swimming pool and a private speedboat for exploring the coast; a sandy beach is a ten-minute walk away

Rooms with rooftop and mountain views, luxurious in their simplicity, heavenly breakfasts out on the terrace, and a cultured, caring owner

Wisteria, clematis and roses clamber up this pretty stone barn conversion with its own big garden surrounded by mature trees and many birds

A luxurious 1920s manor house with superbly stylish rooms, secluded gardens and a heated pool; close to the Picardy coast

A sophisticated and friendly Basque beauty overlooking the Bay of Biscay, in Txakoli vineyard country – prepare to be thoroughly spoilt

Feel like a film star in this fun, 50s-inspired former chapel with its own record collection; walk to the coast path or the friendly local

An 18th-century whitewashed cottage, characterful and comfortable and with a large private garden, just minutes from the coast by car

A delightful old Quinta within a Quinta. Find banana trees, vines and lots of greenery within a 20-minute walk of the centre of town

Remote wartime research station turned stylish retreat with knockout views, wild walks and a front-row seat to the weather

Come for very comfortable B&B suites with garden views in a converted 1880s barn with its own charming sitting and dining rooms

Scandi-Scottish cabin with views across the Kyle of Lochalsh, within walking distance of a cracking pub - a Sawday's Community Champion