ESCAPES FOR TWO

La Petite Maison des Artistes

Pays de la Loire, France Sleeps 2

Wisteria-clad with a winding staircase, this character-packed house (right) in the grounds of a grand manor has sole use of a pool in fairytale gardens. The castle-clad town of Saumur is ten minutes’ drive away.

From £1,060 (ref 49023; purefrance.com).

Master Villa, Blue Sky Villas

Santorini, Greece Sleeps 2

For proposals and honeymoons, this new one-bed overlooking the sea from the highest point on Santorini is a safe bet. With an infinity pool and Jacuzzi, it comes with breakfast for extra lazy mornings.

From £7,000 (01572 755041; santorinivillas.co.uk).

Trapezaki Beach House

Kefalonia, Greece Sleeps 2

There are plenty of villas near Trapezaki beach, but this new house is angled so that couples feel they have the coastline to themselves. There’s a proper pool in its garden, while the sand is a short stroll away.

From £2,425pp including flights and car hire (020 8003 6557; simpsontravel.com).

Villa Los Tendales

Galicia, Spain Sleeps 2

As Spanish summers heat up, Galicia is gaining in popularity thanks to its relatively cool climate and lush landscapes. Between farms and fields inland, this stone hideaway is 15 minutes’ drive from the sweeping sands of the Rías Baixas coast.

From £1,398 (01954 261431; vintage travel.co.uk).

Villa Dalla Sirene

Sicily, Italy Sleeps 4

Set on a beautiful stretch of sand at Santa Maria Focallo, this recently refurbished villa is just steps from the sea. There’s a plunge pool for calmer dips too, as well as a shady terrace overlooking the waves.

From £4,170 (020 3868 6514; sicily4u. co.uk).

Villa Trulli Isabella

Puglia, Italy Sleeps 2

A teeny trulli made for two. Surrounded by fields, it comes with a little pool (and a ping-pong table for competitive couples). Explore the towns of Alberobello and Locorotondo, half an hour’s drive away, then return for spectacular sunsets on the terrace.

From £1,233 (01727 836686; villaplus.com).

Kalathos Blue Dream

Rhodes, Greece Sleeps 4

The standout star among Jet2’s smaller villas, this is a bijou, blue-shuttered pad with its own pool and outdoor oven in the sleepy resort of Kalathos (home to one of the island’s quietest beaches). From £956pp (0800 408 5593; jet2holidays.com).

A Piccirrida

Panarea, Italy Sleeps 2

It’s impossible not to love this tiny hideaway on the Aeolian island of Panarea. A whitewashed sugar cube with a wraparound terrace and the local cobalt-patterned j Villa Dalla Sirene, in Sicily, has a pool and a shady terrace overlooking the waves tiles for floors; its views towards neighbouring Stromboli and the smoulder of its volcano are mesmerising. From £1,832 (0117 204 7810; sawdays.co.uk).

Villa Mathilde

La Croix-Valmer, France Sleeps 2

One-beds don’t get more glam than this studio-style hideaway, part of the sprawling Domaine Louise estate near St Tropez. It’s one of seven villas on the site, surrounded by 10 acres of private parkland and with its own speedboat to explore the glittering coast.

From £3,450 (01978 368 531; worldwidedreamvillas.com).

Casetta Angeli

Amalfi Coast, Italy Sleeps 4

Fifteen minutes’ walk from glitzy Positano, this two-bedroom house clings to the cliffs of a private estate, with a romantic terrace overlooking the sea. There’s a communal pool and a semi-private beach accessed via flower-trimmed footpaths. From £2,300 per week (020 30193722; vitabrevis.travel).