Bruern Holiday Cottages, Nr Milton Under Wychwood, Cotswolds, England

National winners of the English Tourism Council's Excellence in England Gold and Silver Awards for Self-catering Holiday of the Year 1998 and 2003, Bruern Holiday Cottages are the finest, not just in the Cotswolds but in the whole of the UK: they offer the comfort and attention to detail of a good hotel; the privacy, independence and space of home; and the civilised ease and style of English country house living. That's why Bruern Holiday Cottages are the five star luxury benchmark for the most important and prestigious national and official UK inspection organisations.

When she designed them, the owner's criterion was that they should be places in which she would like to live permanently, and our guests clearly agree, since they tell us that they never want to go home. They say that there's nothing better than arriving at the cottage, tired after a long journey, to find the lights on, fire ready, a beautifully laid tea tray with a cake waiting on the table, a bottle of wine in the fridge, and the candles just waiting for a match.

Web Site: www.bruern-holiday-cottages.co.uk