Short breaks from Oxford

This famous old country house might not come cheap, but where else can you splash out in such decadent style for life’s big celebrations?

Lovely old manor house and clever garden with a relaxed, happy vibe and home-baked or homegrown treats on arrival and at breakfasts

A classic period property right on the river, perfectly placed to explore the delights of nearby Marlborough

An impressive manor house set in gentle rolling countryside ten miles from Oxford with a delightful garden, warm hosts and organic breakfast

Ascot is a trot down the road and there's a really cosy, cottagey feel to this quaint 18th-century inn with great food and comfy bedrooms

A lovely old house with pretty rooms, sitting in three and a half acres of mixed woodland and garden on the banks of the river Severn

The Test valley is a place of pilgrimage for fly fishermen, but this lovely country inn welcomes all with great food and lovely bedrooms

An attractively refurbished pub in the little village of Salford offering really good food and a sweet retreat of a cottage off the terrace

This 300-year-old Cotswold pub, the hub of picture-book Sapperton from which there are glorious walks, is a superb place to eat and stay

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

Smart, spacious house for 12 with great views over the family vineyard – arrange a tasting, walk The Cotswold Way, cycle the canal towpath

A smart Georgian townhouse inn with superb local food, Balfour wines and stylish, very comfortable bedrooms in the 'Queen of the Cotswolds'

A sprint from London: a Cotswolds pub modernised with sympathy and care. Happy staff, organic ales and food, gorgeous rooms

Independence in your own barn in the garden. Easy-going hosts - tea & cake, glass of wine, advice on trips out. Walk to the pub for dinner

Come for cracking Sunday roasts and country walks from the door at this revamped 16th-century inn on the fringe of the Cotswolds

Historic but unstuffy inn in the heart of the Cotswolds with swimming pool, spa, gardens and lots of activities for children

A lakeside house on a holiday estate in 500 acres with a spa and swimming pools, just the ticket for multi-generational holidays

A gorgeous house, beautifully refurbished in contemporary style, with chic interiors and a swimming pool in a sublime English garden