With 4,300 self-catering properties in Europe alone, Pure Holiday Homes has something to suit all tastes. For the ultimate warm-weather retreat, stay in the eight-bedroom renovated farmhouse near the town of Ronda in southern Spain, a favourite town

With its fresh, invigorating air and vast open spaces, the French countryside is the ideal place to welcome in the joys of spring with the family. Holiday France Direct has launched a new brochure of holiday homes for 2010, including mountainside

CroatiaWhy visit? Of all the countries in Eastern Europe, Croatia is the one that cries out “family holiday”. Not only is its beautiful coast bathed in crystal-clear waters and warm sunshine, but it is also endowed with enough islands and cultural

Tyres. It was made with tyres. It was the only feature I could recall about the eco home we were staying in for the weekend. So when we drove past a pile of unused old tyres at the side of the road, just outside the village of Ger in Normandy, we

, as well as three restaurants and a gelateria with home-made ice creams. The children’s club is free and there’s also private babysitting for babies and toddlers. Seven nights in two interconnecting deluxe rooms for a family of four costs £6,700.Tel: 01488

To truly experience peace on Earth this Christmas, head to Enna in central Sicily and stay at the tranquil Poets’ Corner – the seven-bedroom, four-bathroom former holiday home of the aristocratic Grimaldi family. It sleeps 12 and was designed as a

, tennis and volleyball. And if you fancy something livelier, you can always head to the larger nearby resort of Argelès Plage. Seven nights in a two-bedroom mobile home sleeping seven costs from £381 in May; a tent sleeping six costs from £202. Tel. 0844

Cologne CathedralWith its twin spires stretching high into the heavens, you’ll have to exercise a good deal of technical agility if you want to snap Cologne’s famous cathedral in one go. Work on the cathedral started in 1248 to provide a home

There’s always a warm welcome at this bright and breezy spa-enhanced seaside stay – the owners like to make children feel at home, so there will be teddy bears waiting to greet them (and, for babies, changing mats and high chairs). Nautically

for children. If you fancy a night in, you can even order a home delivery dinner from the resort’s gourmet village store.The setting is idyllic as the resort is located within a protected national park, so there’s plenty of wildlife and nature to enjoy