Muxima, Algarve, Portugal

Jorge and Sofia, the owners of Muxima, spent years in Africa working on humanitarian projects, and this leafy eco-retreat surrounded by cork trees is infused with a genuine "bush" feel, from the spring-fed swimming pool to the thatched breakfast area and the rustic guesthouses. With two young children of their own, the couple know what makes the perfect family holiday – mountain bikes, archery lessons, free-range pigs and a donkey to befriend. And if bush fever sets in, the sandy beaches of the Algarve are close by.

• Rooms sleeping two adults, one baby and a child cost from £108 a night. Larger suites, with kitchenette and sleeping up to five, cost from £129 (i-escape.com/muxima.php). The nearest airport is Faro. EasyJet, Ryanair, Bmibaby and BA fly to Faro from the UK

Stenebynäs Estate, Dalsland, Sweden

In Sweden the tradition of spending the summer in a lakeside cabin, fishing, foraging and lighting bonfires, is taken so seriously it may as well be enshrined in the constitution. Stenebynäs is a 200-acre family-run estate in the lake district of Dalsland, 90 minutes north of Gothenburg. Guests can rent one of four traditional wooden houses on a peninsula jutting into Lake Iväg. Take a canoe and paddle off in search of your own private beach, fish for your supper or go berry picking in the woods. While the children let off steam, adults can unwind in the lakeside sauna. This is Sweden after all.

• From £775 a week for a cottage sleeping four (+46 531 33168, stenebynas.se). Ryanair flies to Gothenburg City airport from Stansted and Glasgow

La Tuilerie, Limousin, France

A meadow dotted with yurts and tipis, a farmhouse with private bathrooms, communal kitchen and dining room, freshly baked croissants for breakfast and evenings spent drinking wine around the campfire – this is camping at its best (that is, not really camping at all). La Tuilerie's tipis and yurts are equipped with futons, proper bedding, rugs and cooking fires (though if the thought of slaving over a hot log fills you with horror, book one of the regular set dinners or pizza nights). This is a working farm, so your little ones can help feed the pigs and sheep, collect eggs and harvest fruit and veg from the gardens. And if they still have energy to burn, there are acres of woodland to explore on hire bikes.

• A yurt sleeping up to eight costs from €350 a week (babyfriendlyboltholes.co.uk). Ryanair flies to Limoges, the nearest airport. The owners will collect you from the local train station at La Souterraine

Molino Rio Alajar, Andalucía, Spain

It's hard to imagine a more bucolic spot than this self-catering retreat tucked away in the Sierra de Aracena mountains. While the kids are busy climbing trees, splashing in the pool, playing tennis or riding donkeys, parents can have a taste of the good life, picking their own vegetables from the garden, sampling the local ham or even taking Spanish guitar lessons. Accommodation at Molino Rio Alajar is in six traditional stone cottages with gorgeous views over the valley. Larger cottages have log fires and there's a communal sitting room and library in the old mill house. Babysitting is available, leaving adults free to explore the restaurants of the nearby village of Alajar.

• From £95 a night for a one-bedroom cottage sleeping two adults and two children (i-escape.com/molinorioalajar.php). The nearest airport is Seville – Vueling and Ryanair fly there from several UK cities

I Mandorli Agriturismo, Umbria, Italy

Run by three sisters, Maria, Alessandra and Sara, and overseen by Mamma Wanda, this laid-back agriturismo in the beautiful hills of Umbria is very much a family affair. Traditional farm buildings have been converted into three attractive guest rooms and three apartments, furnished simply with iron bedsteads and patchwork quilts. Children can explore the surrounding olive groves, meet the farm animals and, in the autumn, help out with the olive harvest. There are plenty of trails to explore on foot or mountain bike and there's fishing and rafting on the nearby river. The multi-lingual owners, who have young children of their own, are a mine of useful information on local activities and attractions.

• Apartments sleeping four cost from €120 a night (+39 0742 78669, agriturismoimandorli.com). Ryanair flies to Perugia from Stansted

Highland Cabins, Gala, Norway

Make the most of the long summer days by heading north to a log cabin in the Norwegian highlands. Against a backdrop of mountains, moorland, waterfalls and lakes, the Highland cabins near Gudbrandsdalen, 90 minutes' drive north of Lillehammer, are perfect for active families. Pony trekking, fishing, mountain-biking, canoeing, white-water rafting and elk safaris are just some of the activities on your doorstep. You can make use of the pool and restaurant at the nearby hotel or cater for yourselves – elk sausages are a local speciality. Larger cabins have their own sauna.

• A week in a cabin for four costs from £525pp including car hire with Inntravel (01653 617000). Flights are extra. Fly to Oslo, 90 minutes from Lillehammer, with BA or Ryanair

Levendis Estate, Ithaca, Greece

Spero, the affable owner of this organic farm overlooking one of Ithaca's most beautiful bays, can often be found leading younger guests off to feed the sheep or collect eggs, giving frazzled parents the perfect opportunity to escape to the pavilion for a relaxing massage with a sea view. Though the setting is rural, the service is five-star, from babysitting to picnic hampers and evening meals delivered to your cottage door. Accommodation is in four simple cottages with private terraces from which you can spot dolphins in the bay.

• From €3,170 a week for a cottage sleeping three (babyfriendlyboltholes.co.uk). Transfers can be arranged from Athens airport – easyJet; seasonal flights run from the UK to Cephalonia, a ferry ride away; try Thomson Airways

Hotel Azur, Cirali, Turkey

If you want the facilities and convenience of a hotel but not the stress of having to keep the kids on a tight rein, the Hotel Azur might just fit the bill. A two-hour drive south-east of Antalya, this low-key spot is popular with families looking for a laid-back relaxing beach holiday. Choose between bungalows or wooden lodges set in shady gardens of pomegranate, lemon and fig trees, where chickens, cats and rabbits roam freely. You can spend the mornings swimming, kayaking or snoozing on the pebbly beach just 200m away, which is a nesting site for loggerhead turtles; then laze away the afternoons in a hammock in the orchard, or be more active with a jeep safari into the surrounding hills.

• Doubles from €90 B&B, (€120 half-board) between May and October. Over-fives sharing parents' room €15 extra. The hotel (+90 242 825 7072, azurhotelcirali.com) can arrange transfers from Antalya airport. Flights from the UK with easyJet

Walnut Tree Farm, near Aljezur, Portugal

Richard Waddams has spent the past six years restoring this beautiful farmhouse on ecological principles, giving guests a back-to-nature experience without skimping on luxuries. The house is solar-powered and water comes from local streams. There's a natural swimming lake on the farm and it's a perfect base for birdwatching, stargazing, mountainbiking and hiking in the Monchique hills. But the icing on the cake is the tree house built high in a 100-year-old walnut tree, allowing kids to escape from their parents (or vice versa).

• The farmhouse sleeps up to eight and the tree house a further two people. From €1,000 a week (+351 282 991904, walnut-tree-farm.com). Fly to Faro with easyJet, Ryanair, Bmibaby and BA

Farmhouse Le Houga, Gers, France

The ultimate rural getaway, this spacious self-catering farmhouse set in 16 acres of gardens and woodland is perfect for large family groups. It has its own swimming pool, table tennis and bicycles, so you might be tempted to just stay put, but if you decide to venture further afield to explore the region known as the "French Tuscany", there are plenty of lakes with sandy beaches nearby where you can go fishing, sailing and windsurfing.

• The farmhouse sleeps 10. A week costs from £1,860 with The Gascony Secret (0844 800 1637)