Ditch the dirty rascals to become king of the castle, for a week or two at least, by escaping to one of 150 Rapunzel-worthy French chateaux, available on exclusive hire basis from the newly relaunched Simply Chateau. While some have space for hundreds, others are suitable for families or for groups of friends and start from £900 per week, sleeping eight. Pools, vineyards, tennis courts and butlers are just some of the adornments you can expect to find at your royal court. And for the non blue-blooded tiara-wearing types among us, there's also a selection of manor houses, from £400 per week sleeping six.

"Indulge the fantasies of nobility...truffles, foie gras and castles built by noblemen...available through Simply Chateau (www.simplychateau.com) which represents 150 chateaux all over France."