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.

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.

This delightfully eccentric boutique B&B, a stroll from Torquay's seafront, has won numerous awards for its singular style and luxurious standards. Run with great warmth by Andy and Julian Banner-Price, it is known for its funky features, state-of-the-art touches and fastidious attention to detail.

The neon sign outside this former steward's house in a 1,000-acre deer park 'pretty much sets the tone for what to expect in this unique and interesting pub' which combines 'unusual, captivating artwork' with 'a real pub where locals come to play pool and chat', say inspectors.

Highly idiosyncratic and seriously fun, this hotel features bedrooms themed on the Georgian Grand Tour and Victorian global gallivanting.

Gorgeous interiors and a friendly, informal ambience are a winning combination at Susan Stuart's beautiful B&B, where every bedroom has a sea view, and breakfast is quite special.

Swiss gallerists Iwan and Manuela Wirth have had a creative fling at this Victorian coaching inn in a Cairngorms village famed for its Highland Games, filling interiors with important artworks and Victoriana, though menus are short, the cooking spare and elegant.

One of Britain's prettiest disused stations is today an excellent B&B, with bedrooms in the station building and restored Pullman coaches, cream teas served in the waiting room or on the platform, while breakfast is truly first class.

Swathed with creepers and bedecked with flowers, this wildly atmospheric B&B stands on a cobbled street in a medieval citadel with views over Romney Marsh.

If the Borrowers opened a hotel, it would probably be something like Nick and Charlotte Dent's Georgian farmhouse, filled with upcycled objets trouvés.

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.

One of the UK's most unusual B&Bs, this windmill on the old quay in reed beds beside the River Glaven has bedrooms of great character in the mill itself, with more contemporary accommodation in outbuildings.

A beacon of hospitality on a remote cliff-top between the English Channel and the rolling downs, this decommissioned 19th-century lighthouse found new purpose in 2010 as a unique B&B. It offers superb 360-degree views from the lantern room, taking in the Seven Sisters chalk cliffs and the South Downs. test

Eccentric, fun and colourful, this Pimlico town house in a leafy residential street is as much neighbourhood hangout and art gallery as a place to sleep and eat.

Currently closed for updating by its new owners, this hotel huddles under the Welsh Black mountains, where peace, stillness and surroundings removed from the buzzing demands of the modern world are guaranteed. The hotel is due to re-open in April.

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.

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.

This remote restaurant-with-rooms is unexpectedly stylish, with the odd wacky touch, such options as a ferry cabin and yurts in the grounds, and sophisticated modern Scottish cooking.

The fun begins in the sculpture-studded subtropical garden at this dog-friendly clifftop hotel, and runs through everything, from the ambience to the decor.

A beacon of hospitality on a remote cliff-top between the English Channel and the rolling downs, this decommissioned 19th-century lighthouse found new purpose in 2010 as a unique B&B. It offers superb 360-degree views from the lantern room, taking in the Seven Sisters chalk cliffs and the South Downs. test

Highly idiosyncratic and seriously fun, this hotel features bedrooms themed on the Georgian Grand Tour and Victorian global gallivanting.

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.

Overlooking St Bride's Bay, a 19th-century windmill tower forms the centrepiece of this contemporary art hotel with a wide choice of generously supplied bedrooms, and a restaurant serving creative, modern dishes.

A watermill in meadowland is run as a hotel with rustic-chic and contemporary bedrooms, by chef/patron Lee Bye, whose exciting dishes can be enjoyed in the oak-beamed restaurant among the mill's workings.

Scottish culture and celebration are at the heart of the Urquhart family's hotel, café, bar and restaurant near the ferry terminal on Loch Broom, a social hub with simple bedrooms, young staff, short and interesting locally sourced menus, and a bunkhouse for those on a budget.

One of Britain's prettiest disused stations is today an excellent B&B, with bedrooms in the station building and restored Pullman coaches, cream teas served in the waiting room or on the platform, while breakfast is truly first class.

If the Borrowers opened a hotel, it would probably be something like Nick and Charlotte Dent's Georgian farmhouse, filled with upcycled objets trouvés.

The neon sign outside this former steward's house in a 1,000-acre deer park 'pretty much sets the tone for what to expect in this unique and interesting pub' which combines 'unusual, captivating artwork' with 'a real pub where locals come to play pool and chat', say inspectors.

One of the UK's most unusual B&Bs, this windmill on the old quay in reed beds beside the River Glaven has bedrooms of great character in the mill itself, with more contemporary accommodation in outbuildings.

Rooms are a quirky mix of rusticity, wit and chic at this 18th-century watermill on the River Bain, complete with mill machinery, where breakfast brings free-range eggs from a neighbour's hens.

A 16th-century village inn has been reinvented as a fun, bohemian hangout, with rustic-chic bedrooms, upcycled furniture, modern artworks, good pub grub and an irrepressible sense of fun.

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.

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.

You can imagine nodding off in an armchair over the latest issue of Samuel Johnson's Idler, or William Hazlitt's polemics in the Tatler, when you step into this time-warp hotel and close the door on trendy Soho. It was here, on a Georgian terrace in the 1820s, that essayist Hazlitt penned his valediction, and antiques and furnishings keep faith with a bygone age.

One of Britain's prettiest disused stations is today an excellent B&B, with bedrooms in the station building and restored Pullman coaches, cream teas served in the waiting room or on the platform, while breakfast is truly first class.

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.

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.

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.

'Over five decades the dear old George has never missed a beat, and our stay was as perfect as ever in this beautiful, old but supremely comfortable hotel in a lovely town.'

Highly idiosyncratic and seriously fun, this hotel features bedrooms themed on the Georgian Grand Tour and Victorian global gallivanting.