Readers are unanimous in their praise of the welcoming, helpful staff at this family-friendly hotel at the top of the town, with lovely garden, light-filled restaurant, and glorious views over Lyme Bay.

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 in the woods in a timber-lined 'hive' or treehouse.

Life is attuned to nature at this country-house hotel in a Georgian mansion on a working estate. with walled garden, biodynamic farm, luxury spa, and two restaurants that celebrate seasonality and provenance.

Following a stunning redesign, this family-friendly, luxury New Forest hotel and spa continues to set the standard for country-house comfort, romance, fun and superb food.

'Hotel settings don't get much more spectacular than the Polurrian's, on the cliff edge overlooking its own beach,' writes a guide insider. The relaxed family and dog-friendly hotel makes the most of the coastal views.

Big picture windows frame views of the Dart at this cool, contemporary hotel with a leisure vibe, uncluttered chic bedrooms, relaxed bistro dining in the riverside restaurant and alfresco.

A neo-Gothic fantasy castle in glorious pleasure grounds and parkland, the Cunliffe-Lister family's hotel offers a taste of country-house living, with opulent interiors, spacious bedrooms and suites, estate-to-plate dining and a spa.

A 'sprawling, traditional building in a beautiful setting' at the tip of Windermere, this family and dog-friendly hotel has easy access to lake-based activities as well as a spa.

In wooded grounds with Dartmoor National Park on the doorstep, the Hassell family's country-house hotel and beautiful spa impresses with a warm welcome, great service, and a choice of dining venues.

Brothers Rhys and Rhodri Davies have created six beautiful, Scandi-chic bedrooms in a Georgian corner house across the road from their popular bar and restaurant, purveyors of the famous Hive honey ice cream.

Steeped in romance, this Elizabethan manor-house hotel is a place of contrasts, blending history with modern amenities, from the Great Hall lounge and four-poster bedrooms, to Scandi-style wellness rooms with outdoor hot tub, a state-of-the art spa, a Michelin-starred restaurant and more informal brasserie.

A favourite hangout of the England football team, the former home of Lord Louis Mountbatten has contemporary bedrooms, cosseting suites, a good choice of eating and drinking spaces, and a magnificent spa.

In a Tudor manor house in the Cotswolds just across from Cheltenham Racecourse, this hotel with spa and 90 acres of grounds is both family and dog-friendly.

With 100 metres of waterfront, river-view bedrooms, casual all-day dining, and plenty to do, this is a fun, casual hotel with a good choice of bedrooms at affordable prices.

Alluringly re-designed, this Georgian mansion set back from the high street in a smart Huddersfield suburb, is brimming with distinctive spaces in which to sit, drink and dine.

'A little bit of heaven,' writes a reader, of this hotel in parkland in Capability Brown parkland on the Lansdowne family estate, with pleasure grounds, arboretum, a fine-dining restaurant and picnics to order.

With the emphasis on laid-back luxury, this Regency mansion in parkland, once home to Percy Shelley's mother, is today a country-house hotel that is part of the Signet Collection, offering surprisingly affordable bedrooms, a swish spa, a brasserie and pan-Asian restaurant.

Country-house luxury is given a bold modern spin at this Georgian manor house overlooking Durham's rugged coast, with tranquil Serenity Spa, garden rooms with hot tubs, magnificent house suites, fine dining in the restaurant, and Japanese-inspired light bites.

'A lovely hotel in a beautiful setting'; 'calm and quiet'. One of the Guide's best-loved hotels, the 'beautiful, old bastide', outside a delightful small town below the Massif de la Sainte Baume, stands in a large walled garden with swimming pool and fountain.

Amid gardens, native woodland and meadow, this 16th-century manor house is today a family-friendly spa hotel with luxury accommodation, a choice of pub food and more sophisticated dining, and plenty to keep the kids amused.

This historic plantation house stands in large tropical grounds on a white sand beachon the north side of the island

Winston Churchill, Charlie Chaplin and Elizabeth Taylor were among notable guests entertained by press baron Lord Beaverbrook at this glamorous Victorian mansion overlooking Italianate gardens, now an opulent spa hotel and treasure trove of memorabilia, with a tempting range of dining options.

Between woodlands and vineyards on a Burgundy hillside, this holiday hotel stands on a minor road, below an old Neolithic settlement.

Eligible military guests receive a discount at this Edwardian gem of a Scottish revival country house in beautifully maintained gardens, owned by a charitable trust and filled with family mementoes, where bedrooms blend classic and contemporary style and tasting menus feature produce from the walled kitchen garden.

At the centre of a glorious, honeyed-stone Georgian crescent, two adjoining mansions are home to an elegant yet family-friendly hotel with an air of opulence, elegant bedrooms, fine dining in Montagu's Muse restaurant, an oasis garden and charming spa.

A stroll from Northumberland's award-winning beaches, this family-friendly hotel offers a mix of individually designed bedrooms, a fun, quirky bar, and a restaurant serving locally sourced, hearty, gastropub-style cooking for walkers and their dogs.

With golf, tennis, kayaking and powerboating, indoor pool and outdoor hot tub, this spa hotel in 65 acres of garden and woodland on the Helford river is a holiday resort in its own right.

Facing a three-quarter-mile white sand beach lined with palm trees, this is a child-free Caribbean resort hotel.

A home away from home in the heart of Chelsea is the aim of these red-brick Victorian townhouses, which have been converted into a luxurious hotel of dazzling individuality.

The designers have gone to town on this family-friendly city sister to Cliveden and Chewton Glen, spread over a row of Georgian townhouses in swanky W1 and filled with playful touches. Some of the luxury suites have a garden terrace, and light bites and small plates are served in the clubby Dandy Bar.