Les Tournelles - Self-catering cottage in Yvelines

How lovely to find yourself just a 20-minute drive from Paris but cocooned in a 17th-century rustic cottage surrounded by gardens in the old part of a sleepy town. Drive through wooden gates to find the big house, and across the gravel drive, your holiday home with bikes to borrow, wood for the fire out the back, an assortment of homegrown veg - it's all deeply generous thanks to kind owners Daniel and Claude. Inside find a large, beamed sitting room with white sofas, antique furniture, terracotta tiled floor and elegant stone fireplace for a roaring fire when you want it. Off here is a small kitchen with white tiling, 70s pine cupboards, a dining table, (you'll be eating in the garden mostly though) a handsome antique wall clock and an ancient stone carved sink. Up to the eaves and a large bedroom which spans the width of the cottage and has shelves crammed with books, vintage artwork and views over the courtyard and garden. The bathroom is sparkling and roomy with a walk in shower and more views. Walk into town for shops and restaurants, visit Versailles, hop on the train to Paris, or just stay put and relish the peace.