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.
Named in honour of Shrewsbury's famous son, this Grade II* listed Sandford House, moments from the Severn towpath, has evolved into a B&B full of Darwin references, with animal and plant wallpapers, maps and natural history objets.
With views stretching across the Dales, this dark-sky accredited Edwardian country-house hotel has a wide choice of bedrooms, some with a conservatory, as well as an oak-panelled lounge with open fire, and short, appealing menus of local produce in the beamed restaurant.
The quintessential local gastropub in a Wealden village never ceases to please readers, with imaginative food, four good bedrooms and a warm, friendly ambience.
They market this seaside hotel on Cornwall's craggy Pentire headland as having rooms on the edge of the Atlantic, and they're not kidding: the views towards Towan Head and Fistral beach from most of the bedrooms are breathtaking.
After a day browsing the galleries of this buzzy, arty town, you can escape the crowds to sit serenely sipping cocktails in the sub-tropical gardens at this peaceful small hotel which doesn't allow drop-ins or children under ten.
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.
With many features dating from the 15th century, this well-restored old farmhouse stands in large, landscaped gardens amid serene countryside. The hotel and restaurant, part of the Nye family's Anglian Country Inns, have intimate sitting areas and warming fires in inglenook fireplaces.
Family run, dog friendly and welcoming, this village pub at the foot of Howgill fells, between Lakes and Dales, is widely praised for its comfortable, individually styled bedrooms, pub classics and more creative dishes.
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Beachcroft Hotel - England, Bognor Regis
A stay in Felpham inspired William Blake to write of 'England's green and pleasant land', but it's the beach that draws holidaymakers to the de Savarys' South Coast hotel.
Plas Tan-Yr-Allt Historic Country House B&B - Wales, Porthmadog
There's history a-plenty in this upmarket B&B, an Italianate villa with breathtaking views over the Glaslyn estuary to the Rhinog mountains, warm and welcoming hosts, and bedrooms named after famous former residents, including Percy Bysshe Shelley, who wrote 'Queen Mab' here.
By the parish church in a quiet village mentioned in the Domesday Book, this inviting pub is a popular gathering place, and makes an 'excellent overnight stop'.
A superb base for stargazing at Battlesteads Observatory, this hotel, restaurant and village pub, with five new, dog-friendly eco-timber lodges, is commended for championing sustainable tourism, and for its use of home-grown produce in à la carte and tasting menus for omnivores and vegetarians.
Traditional as Burns Night and bannocks, the McMenemie family's Victorian country-house hotel in gardens leading to the shores of Loch Faskally is popular with its largely elderly clientele, who love the comfort of this 'unique establishment' with its caring staff.
Tucked between the Brecon Beacons and the Black Mountains, this red brick inn glows with a warm welcome and down-to-earth charm that attracts walkers, dogs, families and couples.
Welcoming and unfussy, Charles and Edmund Inkin's dining pub is an 'effortlessly stylish' base from which to explore some of Cornwall's best scenery on the coastal path.
In an enchanting Cornish fishing village not far from beaches and gardens, the Inkin brothers' third pub with rooms has long been a firm favourite with readers.
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.
Guests have a wide choice of individually style rooms and suites at this dog-friendly, creeper-covered hotel on the edge of the New Forest, and can opt for fine dining in the restaurant, or cheaper fare in Monty's Bar pub.
Glamorous ocean vistas draw the eye beyond the floor-to-ceiling windows of this hotel, on a headland above St Ouen's Bay, beside Le Moye Golf Club. Designed to recall 1930s marine architecture, it has a pool in landscaped grounds and an ambience of holiday fun and leisure, with gourmet picnics on offer for a day's surfing or wildlife spotting.
With sweeping sea views over subtropical gardens, what started life in 1832 as a coaching inn, has grown into a classic, large, family-friendly, dog-friendly hotel with outdoor heated pool and fine-dining restaurant.
Cross the causeway to an island renowned for its seafood and tuck into some of its best at this 'lovely dog friendly foodie retreat', left empty and derelict from 2013 until Piers Baker stepped in to revamp it in 2021.
A landmark on Dedham's picturesque High Street, looking onto St Mary's Church, Piers Baker's medieval coaching inn impressed our inspectors with a comfortable bedroom 'overflowing with character', swift and personable service, and expert cooking of elevated pub food, especially seafood.
'Ideal if you want a place to unwind or as a base to explore from', this small, intimate hotel is surrounded by wild beauty on the quieter shore of Loch Ness. Owners Anna Low and Philip Crowe are 'wonderful hosts'.
An Edwardian country house in long-time family ownership is run as a spa hotel, restaurant and leisure destination with facilities for golf, tennis, bowls, croquet, swimming.
Caroline and Jonathan Kaye are fun and welcoming hosts at their B&B, a Victorian gentleman's residence in walled garden, praised by many readers for its award-winning interiors, individually styled rooms and suites, delicious afternoon tea and great breakfasts.
'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.
Three Night Ramblers Package with Dinner Special Offer
Watersmeet - England, Woolacombe
'An exceptional seaside hotel', with views from the rooms and terrace to secluded Combesgate beach below, this family-friendly hotel is a former Edwardian gentleman's retreat.
This year there is no updated print edition of the Guide. Entries have been updated online.
You can still buy a copy of the 46th edition, which was published in October 2022.
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The Good Hotel Guide, founded 46 years ago, is totally independent. It receives no payments, no hospitality and no advertising from hotels selected for an entry in the printed edition. Hotels pay to be on the GHG website, but only those which have an entry in the printed Guide are eligible. Selected hotels are recommended by readers, backed where necessary by an anonymous inspection. Richard Fraiman is the owner of the Guide and is its chief executive. Jane Knight is the editor of the British Guide. Nicola Davies is a contributing editor of the Shortlist, and handles correspondence and research. The Guide specialises in small owner-managed hotels, inns and B&Bs in England, Scotland, Wales, the Channel Islands and Ireland. It includes budget B&Bs, good-value hotels and inns as well as grand country houses and chic city hotels, all offering value for money in their price range.
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