A stone built 18th-century tower in a pretty valley dotted with fruit trees for quiet and relaxed days recuperating from life in the city

A beautiful villa, a cabin and a loft on the sunny side of the harbour and a stroll from the beach. Faultless finds!

A cosy, very comfortable stone cottage with fine views across the valley, just a couple of miles from the southern tip of Ullswater

A wonderful old 1397 village inn, filled with history and character. Find gracious bedrooms, roaring fires, good food and a pretty garden

You’ll eat well here, among locals who love the food. The village is quiet, the rooms serenely modern. A great base for a holiday en famille

A relaxed and stylish hotel on the Norfolk coast with an impressive restaurant, sumptuous bedrooms and super staff

A charming B&B in south Sardinia, near Cagliari: circled by palms and cypresses, overlooking sweet-smelling lemon & orange groves. Bliss

A lovely old stone house, set in a walled garden and overlooking the swimming pool on an ancient estate with gardens open to the public

A glorious old house circled on three sides by a duck-filled medieval moat – perfect for adventurous families

A delightfully Lilliputian Georgian cottage with all mod cons at the end of a terrace just a short walk to shops, cafés and the beach

Tranquil manor house deep in Bordeaux wine region with six acres of grounds, a tennis court and swimming pool

Sun-soaked stillness, saltwater dips and garden scents of fig and rosemary - slow days unfold between olive trees and a sky full of stars

One of Scotland’s coolest hotels waits at the end of a 4-mile track - you find loch, mountain and sky, and Tom’s fabulous food

A 17th-century townhouse sitting on a quiet side street with lots of original features and a west-facing patio screened by vines and lemons

Come for the utter silence and the rare beauty of this far north-westerly landscape, teeming with wildlife. An antidote to city life

In the shadow of a Norman château on the Cherbourg Peninsula, a cosy house for three with private parking and restaurants outside the door

Wingham is a pretty village near Canterbury known for its thatched cottages, medieval houses, and a much-loved pub called The Dog