Solitary Nephin, Ireland's highest stand-alone mountain, provides a dramatic backdrop to this classic, pink-washed Georgian country house in wooded grounds on Lough Conn.

'Our favourite hotel in the whole wide world,' writes a devotee of this seafront grande dame, run by the same family for 104 years.

With its own farm shop, brewery and spa barn with outdoor hot tub and sauna as well as a kiddies' playground, this 'buzzy boozer' is 'so much more than a pub with rooms', writes our inspector.

'A really nice place to stay, in a lovely quiet village setting,' this beautifully renovated 17th-century thatched inn lives anew as a local pub with rooms. Manager Claire Lenkowiec and chef Valerio Grimaldi-Plant run the show for the owners and, by George, they get it right!

Ship-owner Allan Hughes chose the perfect site for this handsome Lutyens-style Edwardian country house, on high ground, with panoramic views across Exmoor to the coast, the approach awash with daffodils in springtime.

'It is hard to better this small country house hotel,' write readers of Angus and Jane Fordyce's Georgian mansion, set in open countryside close to the dunes and salt marshes of the Solway coast.

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.

A 19th-century drovers' inn in an estate village lives again as a friendly local gastropub with rooms and spectacular moorland views.

There is star quality indeed at Olga and Alex Polizzi's updated version of a historic Tudor inn, in a charming medieval South Downs village.

In 'England's book town', under mighty Howgill Fells on the edge of the Yorkshire Dales National Park, this is just the place for a drover's platter and a pint – or Korean beef, shiso and sesame with a shot of wasabi vodka.

Olga Polizzi's beautifully styled Georgian fishing lodge, built for the Duke of Bedford and scandalous Duchess Georgiana, stands in a picturesque designed landscape with the River Tamar running through.

Away from the crowds but close to good walking in the Ribble valley, this traditional coaching inn, refurbished in style, is both friendly village local and foodie hotspot, with impressive and glamorous bedrooms, onsite microbrewery, fine-dining and tasting-menus in the restaurant, pub classics and light bites at lunch.

In a 'beautiful location on the shore' of Loch Sunart where otters swim in the waters and red squirrels scamper around the land, this 18th-century lodge offers country-house comforts and plenty of Scottish flair, ranging from tartan fabrics to home-made shortbread.

With 'nothing in between to Canada', this pretty blue-and-white weatherboarded farmhouse-turned-hotel which sits above a secluded cove on Bryher's rugged west-facing coast is a 'very special and distinctive place', say guests.

Our inspectors enjoyed their stay at Alex Morbey's honeyed-stone gastropub with thoughtfully designed rooms and excellent cooking in the busy restaurant.

A Regency beauty with spectacular views from the balconies, this stylish, dog-friendly country house hotel has a relaxed vibe, beautifully designed bedrooms, and a fine-dining restaurant.

With peacocks in the garden, kilt-wearing staff, fire-warmed sitting rooms and antiques at every turn, this 17th-century country house is an indulgent experience.

Amid rolling hills, where Shropshire nudges Herefordshire, Pippa and Willem Vlok's restaurant-with-rooms comprises a picturesque set piece of medieval and Georgian farm buildings.

You can paddleboard on the river, stroll to see the deer in Richmond Park, and feel a world away from central London at this smart, multifaceted Thames-side hotel.

'Offering a buzzy, stylish stay', this quirky venture 'has plenty of attitude within its Georgian exterior', starting with the propeller behind the chrome bar counter, writes an inspector.