Early birds - book ahead

A comfy cottage for two in the quiet, leafy outskirts of Aix with easy access to the city and a kind, attentive owner nearby

A glamourous escape in central Nice. Creative art-filled interiors, a fabulous tropical garden, sumptuous buffet breakfasts, pool and spa

Light-and-colour filled cottage with gardens and sea views on the UNESCO World Heritage Jurassic Coast, a short stroll from Chesil Beach

Comfortable redbrick cottage with views on the Heydon Hall estate. It’s delightfully rural yet you can walk to the village pub for supper

An ancient, recently-extended inn on the edge of the river Swale surrounded by bird-filled marshland and with scrumptious local food

A colourful modern folly, designed to surprise and celebrating the life (and death by motorbike) of an imaginary Essex woman called Julie

A welcoming, affordable seafront base for exploring St Malo and northern Brittany with small rooms, good food and a lively atmosphere

Few inns can rival the scale or history of this one. Dogs doze by the inglenook, food is sourced from local suppliers, bedrooms are gorgeous

Warm interiors, pretty bedrooms, happy staff and excellent breakfasts, all a short stroll from Buckingham Palace

Sitting on top of sand dunes, this cute cottage - small, bright and airy - has glorious views. It’s for long walks (dogs, too) and relaxing

For Cotswolds, comfort and antique-lovers – a flagstoned old bar, open fires, a grown-up restaurant, bedrooms with gorgeous garden views

A cracking spot for this thatched and beamed 17th-century village inn with lovely gardens, just a half-mile stroll from Lulworth Cove

Steam in the hot tub, gaze over crashing waves or later stars. Inside is swish, kids play in their games room, dinner is in view of the sea

A fin-de-siècle Franco-Scottish décor for this hospitable, entertaining B&B, in the heart of Edinburgh’s cultural quarter

Atmospheric English pub with rooms by the green with its duck ponds in a pretty village, with walking and cycling routes to join

Close to the expansive north Norfolk coast, this is a contemporary hotel with a laid-back vibe and excellent food

Get the full-English bucolic countryside experience at this boutique inn right in the heart of a quintessentially pretty Cotswold village

A wall of glass frames the sea view - take drinks on the waterfront lawn in summer, or by the crackling fire in winter