The epitome of country-house luxury, Tim and Stefa Hart's hotel stands on a peninsula, overlooking beautiful gardens and the shining expanse of Rutland Water.

'A jewel set in glorious Welsh countryside', on the edge of Brechfa Forest, this 17th-century country house is 'one of the most outstanding small hotels we have stayed in', readers write.

This Tudor Gothic-style Elizabethan mansion, extended over centuries, overlooks parkland with a rare 17th-century parterre, walled rose garden, cascade, lily pond and follies.

There are sublime sea views from this hilltop Gothic beauty, run by a dedicated and creative family, with elegant bedrooms and gourmet dining by candlelight.

A jar of cookies in the bedroom is just one of the quirks at this fun, intimate boutique hotel, with bedrooms that mix vintage and modern, contemporary British cooking, great service – and Alnwick Castle a stroll away.

The superb setting of the Nye family's hotel overlooking salt marshes to the sea and Scolt Head Island is matched by 'exceptional food and service', say readers who go back year after year.

Family run, dog-friendly and beloved of readers, the Reynolds' small country house hotel is praised for the comfort, service and ambitious cooking.

Perennial popular, professionally run but relaxed, this former coaching inn with views to the Shropshire hills, is an ideal base for walkers and a perfect stopover within sight of the Welsh border.

Pass the little gate lodge to drive up to this bay-fronted country house in wooded grounds edged by a beach on Lough Swilly.

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.

Beautiful rooms and suites, first-rate food and a convivial atmosphere prevail at this hotel and local drop-in occupying a converted Georgian pub and adjacent townhouse.

High on the cliff top above Chesil Beach, this is an effortlessly hip, relaxed, fun hotel with a Cape Cod vibe, light and airy bedrooms, a bar serving cocktails and brilliant snacks, with seriously good cooking in the restaurant.

Forget bed and breakfast and make it wine, bed and breakfast at this boutique guest house in Ashley and Tom Fahey's Italianate Victorian villa overlooking the promenade.

'Staying in the inner courtyard of a 13th-century castle was always going to be unforgettable,' writes an inspector, on a visit to Colin Nicolson and Jessica Thompson's restaurant-with-rooms.

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.

A New Forest bolt-hole, this country house hotel has an easy glamour, romantic and family-friendly rooms, heart-warming Italian food and top-notch spa.

With produce sourced from its own farm and organic market garden, and beautifully styled and lavishly equipped bedrooms spread across cottages and above the village shop, this is a truly exceptional gastropub, a great place for foodies.

The River Teign runs through the garden of this dog-friendly country house hotel with a wide choice of rooms, a warm and friendly ambience, good food, great walks from the door.

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'.

For 40 years, Raymond Blanc has held two Michelin stars at this beautiful country-house hotel 'and it's not surprising – every mouthful of every meal is a triumph', say Guide insiders.

An iconic landmark on the harbour front, this bright-blue-painted former harbourmaster's house is home to a hotel with a great choice of individually styled bedrooms and an unpretentious restaurant, big on fish.

Where the road ends and the Irish Sea begins, this former Victorian hunting lodge with a private cove is secluded, unapologetically traditional and rich in comforts and good food.

'People come here for the food, and for good reason,' says a Guide insider of this buzzy pub with rooms, which is 'very much ye olde village inn, with rustic furniture and roaring fires under the beams'.

With the feel of a private club rather than a hotel, this 'very special place' lies behind the 18th-century facade of three shop-houses in a once-notorious area that is now filled with hip eateris and bars.

Overlooking the River Hodder in the Forest of Bowland, this sprawling 18th-century manor house is joyously traditional, with stone-flagged floors, open fires and bags of atmosphere.

You don't have to blow a fortune to stay at this 'relaxed yet refined' hotel in some converted barns, the former home of Langham Glass, and featuring many charming nods to its heritage.

For many guests, Hazel Bank is the epitome of a small country-house hotel, with 'delicious food, helpful owners and staff, a beautiful setting with magnificent views,' and walks from the door.

With smugglers' tunnels beneath, this 'beautiful, gabled 17th-century manor', five minutes from Ashford International, stands in 'a secret garden oasis with a rose and herb garden'.

Set on a 300-acre working farm, this legendary Irish country-house hotel has grown from being a restaurant with rooms that is passionate about locally sourced food into a thriving business, with cookery school, café and arts venue.

A Regency mansion in parkland, once home to Percy Shelley's mother, has been reimagined as a contemporary country house hotel infused with a blithe spirit.

There are sublime sea views from this hilltop Gothic beauty, run by a dedicated and creative family, with elegant bedrooms and gourmet dining by candlelight.

Banish images of fast-food outlets and slot machines when you break your journey at Tebay on wild and woolly Shap Fell, 60 miles from the Scottish border.

Eat inside or dine alfresco under a striped parasol, at this exceptional gastropub with super-stylish rooms, some for a family, some dog friendly with access to the garden.

A warm welcome with tea and cakes await at this friendly, owner-run, adults-only B&B, an ideal base for walkers, with glorious views over Swaledale.

Birdwatchers and bon vivants beat a path to Tracy and Galton Blackiston's Michelin-starred restaurant-with-rooms in a flint farmhouse with Blakeney nature reserve on the doorstep.

Every painting, sculpture and piece of furniture feels cherished and chosen at John Edward Joyce's Victorian country mansion in landscaped gardens.

Readers rave about the breath-taking views, warmth of welcome and generosity of spirit at this former manse overlooking Badcall Bay.

The 'amazing views' over Bigbury-on-Sea's sands towards Burgh Island are what first impress about this former Edwardian holiday home, but guests also appreciate the 'wonderful welcome, comfortable, characterful bedrooms, and accomplished cooking' at The Henley.

The three Guest brothers made their first bold foray into hospitality with this boutique hotel and spa occupying three Grade I listed town houses on a splendid Georgian terrace.

Pigs have foraged in the New Forest since the Norman Conquest, but a different breed arrived in 2011, when Robin Hutson took on a Georgian hunting lodge and reinvented the English country house hotel.

Ten minutes from Wordsworth's Grasmere, a Victorian mansion has been completely made over to create this super-luxury hotel with Michelin-starred dining and superb accommodation.

'Bags of character and a warm vibe' are on offer at this pub with rooms on an organic farm in a pretty l village on the Marlborough Downs.

With a Michelin-starred restaurant, Grade II listed garden, 17th-century pele tower and French drawing room, Askham Hall sounds as if it might be very formal; not a bit of it. 'The most homely stately hotel we have ever stayed in,' reports one reader.

The 'ridiculously good value' offered at this B&B astounds readers, who love staying at Walter and Nuala Sweeney's Georgian town house, where personal photographs and heirlooms complement the handsome original features.

From bread to truffles, they cook as much as possible on site in this 'very cosy and friendly hotel' in the rolling South Hams countryside between wild Dartmoor and the sandy beaches of Bigbury Bay.

Guide readers are unswervingly loyal to this family-friendly country house by the sea, with peerless views to Snowdonia across Cardigan Bay, run by the Fletcher-Brewer family since opening in 1948.

Where Exmoor meets the Bristol Channel, this foodie retreat that oozes personality and style has 'very comfortable rooms with lovely sea views; the food is up there with many Michelin-starred restaurants'.

Huddled below wooded hills, beside a stone bridge over the River Monnow, this whitewashed former 17th-century coaching inn is delightfully at ease in the landscape.

Eco values as well as enjoyment are fundamental to this cliff-top hotel, with sea thrift-covered roof, sweeping curves, reed-filtered pool and walls of windows to soak up the light and the seascape.

A dream destination for golfing gourmets, Geoffrey and Katherine Smeddle's restaurant with rooms offers Michelin-starred cooking just a 12-minute drive from St Andrews.

The River Rothay runs past the back garden of this small country house hotel with attractive individually styled bedrooms and a choice of dining options.

Michael and Johanna Wignall have reimagined a 15th-century Dales inn, creating classy, contemporary bedrooms, most in annexes with views over Rylstone Fell, and intimate dining spaces in which to sample Michael's Michelin-starred cooking.

'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.

Hannah and Paddy Flynn are warm hosts at their Palladian villa in native woodland, filled with heirloom antiques and auction finds, where singing chef Paddy cooks with brio, breakfast brings eggs from the ducks and hens, and a good time is had by all.

Behind a neo-classical façade, this Georgian coaching inn is a happy mix of local drop-in, hotel and restaurant, with 'comfortable rooms, good food and welcoming staff', says a returning reader.

A Roman Doric portico makes a swanky statement about this Grade II listed Georgian house, but within lies a stylish yet relaxed and fun boutique hotel that is an oasis in the heart of the city.

'The Inkin brothers know how to run hotels,' concludes a reader of this welcoming pub with rooms in an enchanting Cornish fishing village. 'There is nothing that needs improving.

With their background in TV and film, Sara Curran and Peter Sussman, new owners of the former North House, are experts in presentation.

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.

With walks from the doorstep, views of Peak District hills, a peaceful garden, breakfast feasts and restful bedrooms, it's no surprise that Underleigh wins so much praise.

In an enchanting village, this coaching inn impresses with its cosy beamed bar, indulgent bedrooms with private patio, and Michelin-starred chef James Mackenzie's spin on classic British dishes in the restaurant.

A Georgian manor house is home to a restaurant with spacious, old-fashioned bedrooms, where Frederick Forster, a former Roux Scholar, has been winning plaudits for his creative ways with locally sourced ingredients.

Overlooking subtropical gardens and sandy Carne Beach, the Ashworth family's hotel delights readers with its country house style, superlative service and retro classics in the dining room.

The feel of a Victorian country house in town prevails in Struan and Louise Lothian's friendly, well-run hotel with great food on the leafy edge of Pitlochry, with views to the Perthshire hills.

The rustic-chic bedrooms in farmhouse, cider house and barn at this rural Wye valley retreat in the Forest of Dean are all excellent, but the cooking is a still-greater attraction.

The humble setting of this former coaching inn, half a mile from the Scottish border, belies its chic bedrooms and creative cooking.

Rising phoenix-like from the ashes of a conflagration, Andrew Pern's thatched village gastropub retains its joyful eccentricity, with quirky, rustic bedrooms in converted farm buildings, while Mr Pern's modern Yorkshire cooking has lost none of its spark.

It may not be a castle but this rambling 18th-century manor house, wrapped in gardens and with views over the otherworldly karst landscape of the Burren, has its own romantic charm.

'In a beautiful position' on the shores of Loch Na Dal, in the lee of a wooded hill, this former hunting lodge offers 'comfortable bedrooms and public rooms and excellent food'.

The epitome of country-house luxury, Tim and Stefa Hart's hotel stands on a peninsula, overlooking beautiful gardens and the shining expanse of Rutland Water.

You'll find everything you need for a holiday at this family-run, child-friendly, dog-friendly hotel tucked away in a valley, with a path to a secluded sandy beach.

A 'laid-back, fire-in-the hearth, village pub atmosphere' prevails at this charming thatched gastropub with riverside guesthouse on the edge of Salisbury Plain.

Ten minutes from Wordsworth's Grasmere, a Victorian mansion has been completely made over to create this super-luxury hotel with Michelin-starred dining and superb accommodation.

A superb base for stargazing at Battlesteads Observatory, Dee and Richard Slade's hotel, restaurant and village pub also stands out for its approach to sustainable tourism. Using carbon-neutral heating and hot water, it incorporates much of its own produce on the menu; there is also a mushroom farm, and duck, chicken and salmon are smoked on site.

Behind the solid exterior of an Edwardian park-side villa lies a Scandi-chic boutique hotel and popular drop-in restaurant.

'If you have yet to discover Ael-y-Bryn then you are missing out on a gem,' reads one of many positive reports on this adults-only B&B in countryside outside the village of 'Egg-lis-oo-roo', with views to the Preseli hills and Carningli mountain.

Amid 1,000 acres of historically important gardens, pleasure grounds and woodland, this romantic Elizabethan manor house, built by an ironmaster for his bride, forms an impressive backdrop for Michelin-starred cuisine.

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.

An 18th-century part-thatched former tannery turned village ale house has been renovated in a style of rustic simplicity, with unfussy bedrooms and a dining room serving pub classics and more complex dishes.

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.

For many guests, Hazel Bank is the epitome of a small country-house hotel, with 'delicious food, helpful owners and staff, a beautiful setting with magnificent views,' and walks from the door.

Leave the fuss and fret of the AI(M) at Scotch Corner to reconnect with the land at this idyllic hotel, centred on a Georgian coach house amid gardens, parkland and woodland.

With its towers and battlements this Victorian-folly castle, in 15 acres of grounds, looks imposing yet 'you actually feel like it is your castle'.

Bedrooms (most across the road at The Angel) blend contemporary chic and modern comfort with notes of rusticity at this historic hotel in a conservation village, with the barrel-vaulted Crypt bar, and simple, excellent food in dining areas.

In a hillside glade, this once-derelict country house has been beautifully made over, with attention to guests' comfort, real fires, good textiles, fine dining restaurant and simpler artisan fare.