Smarter than the average Bear, this handsome bow-fronted Georgian coaching inn with a distinctive bear statue on a balcony is a fun hotel and local hangout, revamped in contemporary style

Deep in Thomas Hardy country, this picture-perfect thatched cottage is a popular restaurant with rooms run with great charm by Ariane Jones and her husband, Jamie.

A commanding presence on the high street, this Georgian coaching inn has moved with the times, its interiors beautifully renovated, its bedrooms modern and well equipped, with casual dining in the bar and locally sourced dishes in the restaurant.

There is a hint of Castle Gormenghast about this fairytale 1820s marine villa, with its jumble of roofs, gables, gargoyles, towers and dormers, in gardens running down to a sandy beach.

A Georgian manor house above Chesil Beach, this is a dog- and people-friendly hotel designed for holidays and fun, catering to everyone from tinies to grown-ups with sophisticated tastes.

Within strolling distance of the town and the beach is this eco-friendly hotel in a handsome Victorian clifftop villa.

Berthed on the banks of the Stour since 2006, this child-friendly, dog-friendly, glass-and-steel hotel, with the sleek lines of a cruise liner, was built for leisure.