France

A hugely seductive and stylish special place - with magnificent views, pool and bikes, vineyards and hilltop villages to visit

Come for the great outdoors. Return to your base - one of two independent cottages secluded in softly rolling Breton countryside

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

Rural French heaven at this lovely farm within four hectares. Natural materials, neutral colours and a lavender-lined pool all to yourselves

A friendly, generous, big old house with not an ounce of pretension. Big families will adore gathering here to have fun and unwind

A big, comfortable house with heated outdoor pool in 17 acres of gardens. Mountains, river swimming, hiking nearby; coast within the hour

Gather family or friends and take both villa and cottage. The terraces and gardens have long views, the pool is roomy and the peace palpable

A lovely old house and rambling garden in a medieval village with a monumental château, 12th-century church and a good local restaurant

Eye-catching art and antiques, a panoramic breakfast terrace, lovely cultured hosts who put you at ease...A sunny getaway near Collioure

A relaxed old countryside manor house with a huge garden to roam. It’s 2km to sandy beaches & Joelle is next door if you need anything

Fabulous Drôme gîtes: contemporary in old stone buildings, uncluttered, fresh. Take all 5 for a party, laze by pool, doze in lavender

Charming cottage in a vast garden with a swimming pool and boule; walk to the nearest village, drive to Côte d'Azur in less than an hour

Stay in a lovely 18th-century townhouse in one of the prettiest villages on the Loire surrounded by unspoilt countryside

Step back in time at this wonderfully authentic château, loved deeply by its owners - 25km from Beaune and the Route des Grands Crus

Your own cosy apartment in the once arty, now classy Latin Quarter. An elegant, romantic and peaceful bolthole for 2

A gorgeous 18th-century house and pool sitting serenely on the banks of the river and surrounded by flourishing bird-filled gardens

Swings, a terrace and pool in 2 acres ringed by fields and tranquility, and lakes and vineyards beyond. Family bliss in Quercy