Nature lovers ride or hike through the breath-taking landscape of Andalucia's National Park and return to comfortable cottages with views

Capture the spirit of a different era in these immaculate studios and apartments surrounded by umbrella pines, down the road from St Tropez

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

A truly authentic place to stay on a Sicilian working farm with roaming hens, wheat fields, wild flowers and a distant view of the sea

One of the loveliest houses in a very lovely village. Pretty rooms have parquet floors and white walls, the food is a delight

A perfect spot with views of rolling hills, sunflowers and vineyards. Enthusiastic hosts and heaps to do here - watch wildlife, bake, swim

Great value country inn with friendly staff and a superb restaurant. Sleep in comfortable rooms, play boules in the pretty gardens

A flawlessly restored palazzo in the oldest part of town opposite an ancient monastery, with peaceful courtyard and a terrace with views

Your very own love nest: frolic in the outdoor rolltop, hunker by the wood-burner, bask in the gardens... near Lakes and Dales

An incredible living museum, dedicated to the history of Sicily and the arts. Stay in the main house or in a cottage in the fecund garden

An adorable little 1800s cottage with a garden – simple, unpretentious and filled with the owner's colourful art on walls and lampshades

A thatched farmhouse only just over the channel near Rouen that’s well hidden in lush gardens, but worth finding for the gourmet food alone

Elegant country château with a family feel, for big groups with or without children, and those who seek inspiration

A warm and convivial place steeped in French history with an interesting, kind host who really looks after you. Under an hour from Paris too

A trulli hamlet immersed in nature, on the wilder side of Puglia with visits to white-washed hilltop towns and cooking with Nonna Maria

A quirky hotel with enthusiastic owners in an authentic Andalucian town, just ten minutes up winding roads from Marbella

Chichester, blessed with a stunning natural setting, is great for a city break - and this Georgian coach house the perfect bolthole for 2

Tucked at the bottom of a long track and surrounded by a gorgeous natural landscape, is this generous end-slice of a 17th-century stone farm