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. Now an adults-only B&B, it is ‘an absolute gem', furnished throughout in traditional style. ‘Luxurious and comfortable’ bedrooms are supplied with milk and water in glass bottles, Cole & Lewis bath products. Master room Heddon has an espresso maker, Martinhoe a huge bathroom with free-standing roll-top bath and walk-in shower. There is a tennis court in the subtropical gardens, an original maple-lined squash court. A breakfast of local produce, French pastries, eggs from happy hens, with vegan options is served in the Grand Hall (or the coffee snug, if you bring your dog). Porlock village, the South West Coast Path, Coleridge Way and Bossington Bay are within walking distance. For those who don’t want a full evening meal there is a cheese-and-nibbles buffet, and, generously, though there is an honesty bar, they don’t charge corkage if you want to bring your own bottle. ‘Exceptional. We will be back!’ (Jane Kinnaird, Alice Strange)