In ancient Rochefort, sleep in bright, stylish rooms and breakfast on freshly baked bread and home-made honey. Paris and Chartres are close

The cottage looks down over Lough Swilly, idyllic for boats and safe swims... and the neighbours are friendly, just sheep and cows

Two peaceful spaces in a beautiful garden with a morning concert from the birds and a terrace for magical outdoor meals

A three-storey terraced house, niftily restored and sitting beside the river with wonderful views over many colourful boats to Kingswear

A romantic and very comfortable retreat in a smartly converted dairy with a pretty garden, close to the South Downs

An amazing family retreat: sample the delights of the menu, run free in the gardens, curl up by the wood-burner with a book

Three traditional Tuscan stone buildings with guest suites set around a grassed area with wonderful views over the estate vines

An elegant manor house with pretty bedrooms, pool and large grounds. Nathalie looks after you with ease and sets you up with big breakfasts

A gem of a house in a lovely unspoilt village with an intelligent, interesting owner who gives you delicious food and local wines

Deliciously comfortable, hospitable, boutique B&B - in a secluded village within easy reach of Reims and the vineyards of Champagne

Settle into an unhurried pace of life on the coast. Comfortable houses and an eco-friendly garden; yoga, massages and riding can be arranged

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

Built in 1518 to gaze across the Loire to Amboise and decorated with discreet elegance and respect for its history. Guests love it

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 higgledy-piggledy 13th-century house with view-filled terrace in the heart of a medieval village with cobbled streets and painted shutters

Come for the serene views, the beautiful meals and the music festivals in summer. Madeline’s village hotel is a treat for all the senses...

Come for a rest and to be cosseted in this Virginia creeper-clad Languedoc house surrounded by ten acres of green permaculture and woodland

Stay in an apartment in a 1700s Queen Anne style country house or a self-contained loft circled by 25 acres of grounds, near Wicklow mountains