France

Provençale-meets-English country house to great effect – cycle Mont Ventoux, walk to the monastery, visit Roman towns and vineyards

Charming manor house B&B, packed with character, interest and history, sitting in extensive gardens and with elegant bedrooms

A hop from the Côte d'Azur is this elegant home: bring friends, explore the garden, curl up on the sofa, dip in the heated pool

Style abounds in this exquisite Côte d'Azur family getaway, where lazy days are whiled away by the pool and in the quiet bird-filled gardens

Bask in the beautiful Basque country at this friendly B&B in the village, with family-run restaurant for delicious suppers

A very special spot on the Avenue de Champagne, now a UNESCO site, for an apartment and four suites around a bar and boutique

Complete peace and stunning valley views from this gorgeous old farmhouse and barns with pool, tennis court and 80 acres to roam

Fairytale castle in a tranquil and secluded countryside setting. Classic French cuisine and grand, traditional interiors

An idyllic hotel-restaurant in a postcard-pretty medieval village. Warm interiors, a varied menu of local produce, masses to see and do...

A reader writes, 'This place turned out to be one of life's wonderful experiences - a beautiful setting, gorgeous food, kindest of hosts...'

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

An historic, moated manor house dating from the 16th-century, fully restored and with all mod cons, including an indoor heated pool

Extraordinary: gourmet food, attentive hosts, a rooftop pool. Wine-taste your way through bucolic Burgundy between Auxerre and Dijon

An island of oyster farms, salt pans and white beaches, woolly donkeys, countless push-bikes and the odd celeb – we love the Ile de Ré!

A lovely old stone cottage in a group round a pretty courtyard, with your own private patio and seating area, on the Pink Granite Coast

Your friendly hosts offer you stylish bedrooms, swims in the heated pool, and wonderful dinners and wines. Cahors is only a 10-minute drive

Come for the gloriously peaceful countryside and this 1700s house and garden, scrupulously renovated and with plenty of space

An exceptional place in a beautiful setting for groups of friends or family gatherings, with your own spaces plus room to come together