The Rectory Hotel

Given a contemporary feel by owners Julian Muggridge (antique dealer) and Jonathan Barry (ex-Hotel du Vin group), this 16th-century former rectory stands in stone-walled gardens in a village near Malmesbury. The manager is Lee Mitchell. All the bedrooms overlook the gardens: they have a 'miscellany of furniture', sprung mattress, Egyptian linen, deep bath and power shower. There are soft chairs and magazines in the large hall/sitting room. The high-ceilinged bar lounge (plastic side tables, glass-shelved alcoves) has a 'well-displayed' collection of ornamental glass. In the wood-panelled restaurant, which looks over a sunken Victorian pool, chef Peter Fairclough serves classic British dishes on a seasonal menu: perhaps confit of duck leg, hazelnut and chorizo sausage; seared sea bass, king prawns, linguini. Guests can also eat at The Potting Shed, a pub opposite under the same ownership ('it provides lollies for children and dog biscuits for visiting hounds'). At breakfast, the English platter was 'copious and tasty'. In summer, meals can be taken in the garden, and there is an outdoor swimming pool. (NB, and others)