Avoid the holiday-house horrors

Hoteliers have boned up on interior design but holiday cottages still threaten death by antimacassar.

Frilly lampshades cosy up to Dralon sofas, lace-draped coffee tables straddle pizza-topping carpets. How can you rent without chintz, orange pine and ugly, white-plastic outdoor chairs? Until someone sets up designvillas.com, here's how to avoid holiday-house horrors.

Cherry-pick your brochures. Designer cottages won't be in lookalike catalogues. Seek "striking" and "individual" in descriptions: CV Travel's Mediterranean World (0870 606 0802; www.cvtravel.net), for example, lavishes space on classy properties - three-storey villa La Galleria in Majorca, is "brimming with architectural flair", has a large pool, Spanish furnishings, a hillside location and sleeps six. From £1,080 for a week in May. Something Special's France brochure (0870 027 0510, www.somethingspecial.co.uk) is a mixed bag, but has a wide choice of chateaux. Close to Bergerac, La Léotardie is shabby chic sleeping 30, from £1,541 in June.

Tour the Net to check the view from the terrace and the bedroom frill factor. Try Tapestry Holidays (020 8235 7788, www.tapestryholidays.com) with properties in Greece and Turkey.

Ask for "crossover" properties - small hotels which can be booked exclusively as a private home. Nine-room Villa Fontelunga near Cortona, Tuscany, operates as a hotel or complete villa. One week's exclusive rental in July, £11,521, Design Hotels (0800 169 8817, www.designhotels.com).

Use the small ads. Discerning owners seeking untroublesome guests often advertise in The Lady. But ask about insurance and any previous users to contact.

Swap: exchange your Hoxton pad with someone with similar taste: www.homelink.org.uk and www.homeexchange.com.

Who to call... for a neat retreat

Five restored workers' cottages on the Cawdor estate, near Inverness: wood and jute floors, comfy furnishings and champagne hamper. From £612 a week in July (01667 404666, www.cawdor.com).

Forgotten Houses of Cornwall (01326 340153, www.forgottenhouses. freeserve.co.uk) has 20 Cornish properties - many listed buildings - from £285 a week in June.

For sun, sea and sandblasted glass

Italian specialist Tuscany Now (020 7272 5469, www.tuscanynow.com). Hand-picked collection: La Baia, an architect-designed seaside villa for eight on Sardinia's Costa Smeralda,has tribal art and circular pool, from £6,876 for a week in June. International Chapters (020 7722 0722, www.villa-rentals.com).

Strong on design: Le Muy, converted 17th century Côte d'Azur farmhouse, minimalist interiors, sleeps nine, from £5,915 for a week in August.

For houses with history

The Landmark Trust (01628 825925, www.landmarktrust.co.uk): refreshingly knick-knack free architectural curiosities.

Vivat Trust Holidays (020 7930 8030, www.vivat.org.uk) has nine restored historic buildings countrywide. National Trust cottages (0870 4584411, www.nationaltrustcottages.co.uk) err to frumpy, but enjoy superb locations, for example, refurbished properties, such as Bonemill Cottages on the Dudmaston estate, Shropshire.

For luxury

Scott Dunn (020 8767 6090, www.scottdunn.com). Rigorouslychosen villas ooze individuality; the Mediterranean brochure features 16, including a 16th century chateau in Gascony.

Abercrombie and Kent (0845 070 0600, www.abercrombiekent.co.uk). Avowedly upmarket properties: blazing-white Elounda Gulf Villas in Crete with pool and terrace. Western and Oriental (0207 313 6600, www.westernoriental.com). Select choice of villas worldwide including 12 idylls in Sri Lanka.

Private World (020 7723 5599). Members-only club: 75 luxury villas in 37 countries, invitation only.

For the world on a plate

Two US-based websites specialise in top notch-one-off properties: www.villasoftheworld.com has a glittering global array of celeb villas, including Princess Margaret's former home on Mustique and Chris Blackwell's hip escapes in the Caribbean.

For private islands in the Bahamas, British Virgin Islands or Fiji, visit www.unusualvillarentals.com: unadulterated swank - Aristotle Onassis's luxury yacht Christina O - to apartments on St Barts.

? Prices are per property, excluding flights, subject to availability.