Take5: Village house beside Charente river, house with garden in Bulgaria

Town&Country: Two-bed Blanchardstown cottage or Ballyhackett four-bed

Take5: Western Cape views, Montserrat apartment, French hamlet home with pool

Town&Country: A one-bed in Finglas or a four-bed by the sea in Ballyhealy

Take5: You could pick up a poolside home in Crete or a personal palazzo in Umbria

Town&Country: Seven-bed Tullaghan pile or one-bed flat near St Patrick’s Cathedral

Take 5: A bungalow near Rosslare or villas with pools in Koh Samui or the Dordogne

A two-bed in north-west Dublin or a four bed close to the Leitrim/Cavan border

Townhouse in the Dordogne, apartment in Turkey or villa in Italy

Villas in Kefalonia and Tuscany, a Pyrenean country house or a Budapest apartment

Town&Country: An Inchicore two-bed or a Kilrush five-bed with Shannon views

Take5: Sea views in Turkey and Italy, a period house in Birmingham or a four-bed in Belmont

Town & Country: A home, shop and pub in Listowel or an apartment in Mulhuddart

Take5: An Italian home amid centuries-old olive trees or a two-bed in Ballyvary

Town&Country: A two-bed in Inchicore or a six-bed overlooking a river in Galway

Duplex in gated scheme with a pool in Fethiye or a cave house in Andalucia

Take5: A former mill on the Garonne river, farmhouse in Umbria, and more

Town&Country: A cottage in Rathcoole, or a five-bed in Portlaoise for €160,000

Take5: Bangkok flat, Limousin and Piedmont homes, Camposol villa, Listowel three-bed

Town&Country: A Finglas apartment or a five-bed house on 0.5ac in Killeshandra

Take5: Kalkan and Peloponnese sea views, French five-bed, Bristol flat, Ballyheige cottage

Town&Country: a semi-D in Coolock or a bungalow on more than 2ac in Aughrim

‘Just try it’ is the philosophy at Club Med in Val Thorens, from the slopes to the dancefloor

Take5: A cottage by the sea in Belmullet or a maison bourgeoise in Limousin

Town&Country: Dublin 1 apartment or a listed Georgian house in Charleville

Take5: Venice and Benidorm apartments, Antalya house with pool, Wicklow bungalow

Town&Country: Ramelton four-bed by the sea or two-bed Smithfield apartment

Take5: Loire lodge, off-grid Limpopo camp, sea views in Wicklow, Alicante and St Lucia

Town&Country: A three-bed in Carrickmacross or a small top-floor flat in D8

From Christmas markets to once-in-a-lifetime adventures, we’ve rounded up the best destinations to get you through the season

Take 5: Period homes in France and Italy, sea views in Spain and Turkey, or a Mayo bungalow

Town&Country: A cosy Dublin 7 cottage or a period six-bed on 1.7 acres in Co Mayo

Take 5: A villa in Spain, Italian farmhouse, traditional Turkish house, property in France and a bungalow in Navan

Town&Country: A three-bed in Ballybrack or architectural history in Kilmacthomas

A singing teacher has brought harmony to a home that was once full of brown

Take 5: Country homes in France, Italy and Spain, studio in Berlin, or a Leixlip terrace

Town&Country: Farmhouse in Hugginstown or ground-floor apartment in west Dublin

Take 5: Spain and Turkey villas, France and Cyprus stone houses, Carrick-on-Suir cottage

Town&Country: Six-bed with acre of land in Abbeyfeale or three-bed in Drimnagh

Take5: Ontario, Tuscany and Languedoc period homes, Dalyan villa, Maynooth bungalow

Town&Country: Renovated period four-bed in Boyle or D6 two-bed by the Grand Canal

Take5: Homes with pools in Algarve, Aquitaine and Marche; or a three-bed in Clane

Town&Country: One-bed Clondalkin apartment or split eight-bed Abbeylara house

Take5: Vienne and Devon homes, Marche fixer-upper, Karaagaç villa, Westport cottage

Town&Country: One-bed Harold’s Cross apartment or Killary Harbour three-bed

Dark colours, texture and character were behind this docklands refurb

Take5: Homes in Haut-Vienne, Bogotá, Piedmont, Alicante and Portarlington

Town&Country: Two-bedroom Ashtown apartment or six-bed near Headford

Take5: Andalusian three-bed; renovation projects in Calabria, Indre, Crete, Kilcreevin

Town & Country: A one-bed Swords apartment or a three-bed cottage on 30 acres?

A Dublin cottage redesigned by its owner has a cool, calm interior

Take5: Five-bed near Disney World, period homes, apartment trio, Faithlegg bungalow

Town&Country: A North Strand one-bed terrace or a four-bed near Killorglin

Take5: A former B&B in Auvergne, a villa on a private beach in Dominican Republic or a four-bed in Kilconnell

Town&Country: Riverside Ringsend cottage or period house with harbour views in Cobh

A former hotel and restaurant in France, or a cottage in Fethard?

Town&Country: A two-bed apartment in Balbriggan or three-bed house in Malin Head

Take5: Stone house, bank building, house with olive farm, seaside flat, bungalow

Town & Country: a three-bed mid-terrace in Dublin or a four-bed stone house in Macroom

Riba House of the Year contest in the UK shows architects moving away from stark shapes towards more sustainable designs

Take5: A bungalow in Carlow town or a period house amid cognac vineyards

Town&Country: A two-bedroom apartment in Dublin or four- to five-bed house near Mullingar

Take5: Manor house, traditional apartment, communal pool or mountain retreat

Town&Country: An apartment in Dublin 22 or a country house built for Lord Tottenham

Take5: A village with a pool in Spain, a restored house with period features in France and an Italian farmhouse

A rocky north-facing site was the starting point for this stunning home with panoramic sea views

Take5: Sea views in Andalucia, Crete and Antalya and large living space in Dordogne

Town&Country: A one-bed in the financial district or grand five-bed in Bailieborough

Take5: Mountain views, olive groves and swimming pools

Town&Country: A cottage in Ballyfermot or a modern four-bed near Letterkenny

Take5: Tuscany, Kalkan, Pays de la Loire houses; Barcelona apartment, Ballyconneely cottage

Town&Country: A two-bed apartment by the Luas or a detached five-bed with kennels

Take5: Beachside villa, hunting lodge, countryside retreat and guest house

Town&Country: A two-bed in Palmerstown or a detached five bed in Killygordon

Take Five: Farmhouses in Charente and Molise, two apartments in Baltimore or a bungalow in Hollymount

Town&Country: A duplex in Clonshaugh or a wheelchair-accessible three-bed

Take5: Manor house, Koh Samui sea views, Salzburg ski chalet, Kilmeena three-bed

Town&Country: Two-bed Sandyford apartment or detached Fahan four-bed

Take5: Peloponnese and Sussex sea views, a Veneto farmhouse or a French manor

Town&Country: A three-bed apartment in Tallaght or a three-bed Victorian in Loughrea

Take5: Sea views in Sunny Beach, a French tower house or a Cavan small holding

Town&Country: An apartment near the Luas line in Tallaght or a four-bed outside Derry

Take5: poolside villa, grand maison de maître, Venetian flat and Greek house

Riba’s Woman Architect of the Year prize just the latest big award for Irishwoman

Town and Country: Semi-detached suburbia or a seven-bed country mansion

Take5: A village home in Charente, villa in Murcia and apartment in Budapest

Town&Country: A five-bed on half an acre or a one-bed apartment in Finglas

Take5: Options includes a Berlin urban hideaway and a grand Tuscan villa

Town&Country: A three-bed near DCU or house at the foothills of Sliabh an Iarainn

Owner of this new home felt the ready made interior wasn’t her so designer Jane Higgins gave it a whole new look

Take5: From breathtaking views to a stone house with its own bread oven

Town&Country: A two-bed apartment in Dublin or a four-bed house in Westmeath

Take5: Middlesbrough and Poitou-Charentes town homes, Abruzzo and Corfu stone houses

Mitchelstown four-bed with annex on 4.5ac or Artane three-bed

It pays to do your homework on the range of professional services available

Take5: Period buildings in Abruzzo and Auvergne, apartments in Lisbon and Morinj

Town&Country: Ground-floor apartment near The Square or a sheltered Kilkelly four-bed