This stylish farm stay, outside the town of Serendah, Malaysia, is less than an hour’s drive from Kuala Lumpur and is a popular rural retreat from the city. THE ACCOMMODATION: It has a range of very comfortable suites and chalets for up to four people, all of them clean and comfortable with private bathroom.  There is a common kitchen in the main building too where you can cook using some of the farm’s own produce, as well as a dining room, library, games and reading room. Outside there is plenty of social space too; around the swimming pool and the barbecue pit where barbecues can be a nightly event. If you don’t feel like cooking there are a number of quality restaurants in the surrounding area serving Malay, Indian, Chinese and Western food, with one or two within walking distance. Ask the staff for advice. Carpe Diem has 18 acres of fruit orchards, vegetable plots, herb gardens, flower gardens, duck ponds and a swimming pool. THE LOCATION: Plenty of outdoor activities can also be arranged with help from the staff; cycling and trekking tours for example or fishing and fruit picking. There is lots to see and do in this part of Malaysia; the Ulu Yam Hot Springs, Orang Asli-Native Village and a country club with a public golf course are all within 15 minutes drive. Slightly farther afield, about a half an hour away, you’ll find some awesome jungle treks around Selangor Dam and Kuala Kubu Bahru. The nearest airport is Sultan Abdul Aziz Shah Airport less than 50 miles away. Note: No WiFi, and no pets allowed! WHAT OTHER GUESTS SAY: “Excellent: The owner was such a humble and nice person. All my family members enjoyed this short vacation and of course want to repeat it again….” “ The environment is soooo refreshinggg.. I like the kampunf style. Very peaceful. Definitely will come again…” >> CLICK HERE TO READ MORE REVIEWS & TO BOOK YOUR STAY AT CARPE DIEM ORCHARD HOME: READ MORE

In Peso da Régua, in the heart of Portugal‘s premier wine producing region, the Douro Valley, and about 100km from Porto Airport (Airport transfers can be arranged) Quinta de Marrocos is an award winning vineyard estate with B&B accommodation at its restored 17th century farmhouse. THE ACCOMMODATION: Their homely, traditional style rooms all come with air conditioning, flat screen satellite TV, WiFi, private bathroom and a balcony with nice views of the surrounding mountains or the river Douro. You’ll also find a bar and restaurant here, and a nice shared lounge and terrace overlooking the gardens and vineyards. THE WINE: The big focus here is wine, specifically the Douro and Port wine of which the the region is famous. The Quinta de Marrocos estate has produced a number of award winning ports and they still make use of traditional granite presses where the grapes are pressed by foot, and cellars where the wine is aged in barrels, vats and casks of wood which gives the wine its famed complexity. There is a lot to learn and the estate owners organize very interesting vineyard tours, cellar tours and tasting sessions. THE LOCATION: Northern Portugal’s Douro Valley is well known for its wine, in fact it is reputed to be the longest continual wine growing region in the world. But besides that it is also beautifully rural with great stretches of rolling green hills and woodlands all around. Even if wine is not your thing you’ll still find it a very lovely place for exploring, with some nice hikes offering great views over the river below. It is also great for all sorts of outdoor activities; cycling, golfing, hiking, water sports, boat trips and horse riding can all be easily arranged; just ask at the Quinta for advice. For more education on the region we’d also recommend a trip to the Douro Museum, only about 4km from Quinta de Marrocos in the centre of Peso da Régua, where you can learn a lot more about this iconic region generally, with of course a major focus on the wine industry. Again not far from Quinta de Marrocos, on the the south bank of READ MORE

Le Mas de Peint has luxury farmhouse hotel accommodation hidden away in the wild Camargue region of southern Provence, between Marseille and Montpellier, and near to both Arles and Aix-en-Provence. The estate is huge, there is a full 1250 acres of it to explore and can done on horseback. They keep a number of those iconic Camargue Horses at Le Mas de Peint and horse riding tours can be arranged, as can 4WD and mountain bike tours. The gardens are beautifully kept too with an outdoor swimming pool and plenty of areas to relax. Beyond both the gardens and the farm you are in the middle of some beautifully natural countryside with wild flamingos to be seen among the salt marshes, rice fields and hidden beaches. THE ACCOMMODATION: They have a choice of 13 luxury double rooms and suites that are tastefully and carefully designed in traditional style; where antique furniture and wood beamed ceilings sit easily with modern comforts and facilities. As well as the gardens and the outdoor swimming pool there is a top class restaurant at the farmhouse which serves up some extremely good authentic Provençal food, food which is accompanied by a great selection of wines. You can enjoy your meal in the dining room or on the terrace outside. The breakfast is excellent too, though sadly you need to pay extra for it, i.e. it’s not included in the room rate. The huge ranch is great for exploring. You can head out hiking or biking by yourself, mountain bikes are available for hire, as are massage services for any aching limbs afterwards, or you can join 4WD ‘Safari’ or horseback riding tours which go beyond the farm and deep into the Camargue. The horses on the estate, the famous white Camargue Horses, are, as you probably guessed from the name, native to the area and are believed to be one of the oldest species of horse in the world. You will also see herds of wild horses on your travels in the area. THE LOCATION: Between the cities of Montpellier and Marseille where the River Rhone meets the Mediterranean, lies the Camargue, a vast area READ MORE

Agriturismo Humile offers true romantic escape, in the heart of the Val d’Orcia, near Siena. The property is a restored 18th century farmhouse in a classic Italian rural idyll and, with just three boutique suites on offer, the atmosphere is one of great peace and tranquility. The farmhouse is beautifully designed and decorated and retains a lovely rustic ambience while not compromising on modern comforts and facilities. Outside you have a swimming pool and a hot tub at your disposal in the nicely tended gardens. The entire property is proudly eco-friendly and the farm is fully organic, producing extra virgin olive oil as well as various vegetables and herbs along permaculture principles. THE ACCOMMODATION: They have three very lovely suites to choose from, all of which are extremely spacious, clean and tastefully decorated. There is a double bed in each plus a seating/lounge area very nice private bathrooms. Two of the suites are downstairs and have their own private entrance with one being upstairs, accessed through the farmhouse, which has the advantage of having nice views over the surrounding countryside. The thoughtful interior design works beautifully in the suites and throughout the property. It is very much a boutique hotel, while also maintaining strongly its rustic farmhouse essence, and though classically minimalist it has lots of lovely little touches and careful attention to detail throughout. The agriturismo is very environmentally conscious and so they forgo air conditioning for fans (though they do have central heating in winter) and don’t have for example TVs and mini fridges in the rooms (though you are of course very welcome to use the fridge in the farm kitchen) The gardens outside are equally nice, with plenty of seating space, a swimming pool and a hot tub, and is surrounded by the olive groves and vegetable gardens that make up the farm. THE FARM: The farm is fully organic and is maintained on permaculture principles. They grow a range of fruit and vegetables here as well as herbs and medicinal plants and they produce their own excellent quality organic extra virgin olive oil. They make some great fresh fresh food at this agriturismo, their breakfasts are READ MORE

Domaine de Gressac is a luxury organic agriturismo vineyard hotel/farm stay gite, near Avignon in the south of France, which is part winery part horse breeding farm. The accommodation is in the form of luxury, self catering, old stone cottages, the property, both inside and out, is nothing short of gorgeous, and is surrounded by a full 280 acre estate comprising of vineyard, pastureland, woodland and even a river beach. THE ACCOMMODATION: The gites are in the form of very charming stone cottages, with the largest being able to sleep up to 7 people. They are all built quite recently from the stones and beams of the old farmhouse which was lying in ruins before the present owners lovingly restored the entire place. Though technically new in that case, the gites feel thoroughly authentic, like classic south of France farm cottages but with very much modern levels of comfort and facilities. The furniture and fittings are all nicely chosen, though mainly contemporary they don’t seem to detract from the beautifully rustic feel of the property. They all have plenty of space, with good sized lounge & sitting areas, plush kitchens and bathrooms, and come with all mod cons; flat screen TV, air-con, WiFi etc. Beautiful as the gites are, the estate that surrounds them is even more impressive. There are the lovingly tended gardens and lawns with an outdoor swimming pool and plenty of space for lounging around. Then there are the vineyards, from which the owners produce a range of reds, whites and rosés, all of which are organic. There is an on-site winery at the property too; the entire process is done in house and you can arrange tours and tasting sessions of the vineyards, winery and cellars. Then there is the horse breeding farm where you can watch some of their very beautiful thoroughbred Spanish horses trotting around. There are also areas of beautifully peaceful woodland that are lovely to stroll though, and a river with its own river beach. You can rent bikes out for free at the farmhouse and you’ll find plenty of trails through the estate for cycling and hiking. Children will be entertained READ MORE

Near Cessnock, and the heart of Hunter Valley, Emma’s Cottage Vineyard is well known among wine lovers. It has been producing premium boutique wines from seven different varieties of hand picked grapes since 1989 and offers a full compliment of wine tourism activities. It is also perfectly located to visit the many other vineyards and cellar doors that dot this part of Hunter. Their accommodation is also of the highest quality though and so even if, like many people, you have no interest in wine, the calm, healing atmosphere make it a great place to de-stress for pretty much anyone. They also have a highly rated restaurant, Restaurant Trey, an on-site art gallery hosting regular exhibitions and an outdoor seasonal swimming pool. THE ACCOMMODATION: They have a choice of two, three and four bedroom private cottages to sleep up to a maximum of eight. All are modern, spacious and very comfortable with fully equipped kitchens, large living and dining rooms with large flat screen TV, cosy log fire, air con, music dock, as well as furnished outdoor space with gas BBQ facilities. Check your options out on the booking page here.  Note: no Wifi available. PRICES: Check out all the details – prices, reviews & more photos on the booking page here. THE LOCATION: In Lovedale, just off the Wine Country Drive, a few minutes north from Cessnock, Emma’s is surrounded by boutique wineries and cellar doors just like its own and is a great place to base yourself for tours of one of Australia’s premier wine making regions. If you have an interest in the history of this iconic area you may be interested to know that there is a heritage listed, 19th century era cemetery on the Emma’s Vineyard property, one which contains many big names of the early wine industry. It’s not just wine though, the Hunter Valley, and this part of Hunter particularly, is also a place for foodies to indulge, with a tremendous amount of great restaurants, cafes, farmer’s markets and the like. The enthusiastic owners of Emma’s Vineyard can point you in the right direction for all this and more, plus they have their READ MORE