This Victorian gothic mansion might appear a little forbidding, but step inside and you are overwhelmed by a warm ambience and beautiful interiors, while some guests choose to sleep out in the woods in a timber-lined 'hive' or tree house.

Part of the nascent and fast-growing Signet Collection, this hotel, has an easy-going vibe, smart bedrooms, some very affordable, some with views over Rutland Water, relaxed brasserie dining and, now, an outdoor spa.

It was nearly Howard's end in 2015 before two local families stepped in to restore the fortunes of this traditional village pub, which 'makes a great base for exploring the Cotswolds' with its 'upmarket pub food, good service and excellent breakfasts'.

Modern mixes with medieval on the ramparts of what remains of Nottingham Castle, with this sleek hotel the perfect place to escape the bustling city.

There is no isle here, no lake, no bee-loud glade, but the name of Richard and Janine Burton's lauded restaurant-with-rooms draws inspiration from WB Yeats's Innisfree, a place of serenity and escape.

You can dine well in historic splendour in the old drapers' guild hall at this singularly atmospheric restaurant with individually styled rooms.

In a gem of a Cotswold town, with its green verges, galleries and tea shops, a honey-stone house is home to this first-class restaurant-with-rooms

An Edwardian homage to 17th-century style, this beautiful manor house with rich Jacobean-inspired interiors is run as a luxury hotel with fine-dining restaurant where you can enjoy a 'truly memorable meal'.

Refurbished throughout by a new owner, this Georgian coaching inn in the city's historic heart offers a good choice of comfortable bedrooms, bars and dining options.

It has undergone a lavish makeover, with quirky and extravagant interiors and a botanically inspired spa, but this 18th-century mansion in parkland is a welcoming hotel for families and their four-legged friends.

On the edge of a tranquil village, yet only 10 minutes from historic Oundle, the Marriott family offers comfortable B&B rooms in converted buildings on their traditional arable farm.

A rustic aspect belies the rather smart interiors at this pub on the Chatsworth estate serving pub classics and more imaginative fare.

This old pub in a tiny rural village had stood empty and rotting for years when it was rescued and revived, with smart bedrooms in a converted piggery, and cooking of a very high order.

An olde-worlde pub in a Chatsworth estate village combines here with a modern brasserie, while individually styled bedrooms are spread between the inn and three cottages.

A short stroll from the Swan of Avon's birthplace, this 15th-century inn is now a Fuller's pub with some very characterful rooms, serving real ales, pub classics and more imaginative dishes.

Behind the Tudor black-and-white facade of this old coaching inn lies a gastropub big on sustainability, with some quirky options for an overnight stay.

A once boarded-up village boozer with views over the Dove valley, this is today a thriving gastropub with well-equipped, stylish annexe rooms, and a menu of pub staples and creative seasonal dishes, served alfresco when the sun shines.

'Foodie heaven with the bonus of nearby culture,' was a Guide insider's verdict on this restaurant-with-rooms a short spin by loan bike from Stratford-upon-Avon.

Occupying two Georgian villas in gardens bordered by the old castle moat, this friendly hotel has a wide choice of well-equipped, individually styled rooms, and inviting food in the light-filled conservatory.

'Treehouses, boathouses and shepherds' huts are scattered around 70 acres of glorious grounds on the Consall Hall Estate at this deconstructed, dog-friendly hotel.

With its wonky roofline, leaded windows, honeyed stone and distinctive black-and-white Tudor wing, this family-run hotel overlooks the green of a much-photographed, quintessential Cotswold village.

With onsite brewery, boutique-style bedrooms in the main building and a converted barn, and a menu of popular classics and more exotic dishes, this modernised 300-year-old village pub retains plenty of character.

In landscaped grounds on the edge of the Wolds, this 18th-century-cum-Victorian manor house mixes antiques with modern comforts, fine and casual dining in restaurant and dog-friendly Pig & Whistle.

In a Grade I listed Georgian crescent to rival Bath's, this spa hotel was launched in 2020 after a 17-year transformation.

This sprawling honey-stone building with its tall chimneys and leaded windows offers history, grand rooms and antiques, along with a thoroughly modern spa and 21st-century luxuries.

Behind adjacent shopfronts on the marketplace, this vivaciously styled, open-all-day restaurant-with-rooms wins high praise for its generously equipped, affordable, beautifully presented bedrooms and short, exciting seasonal menus, with dishes from the charcoal grill.