The humble setting of this former coaching inn, half a mile from the Scottish border, belies its chic bedrooms and creative cooking.

Michelin-starred chef Michael Caines has created a country house hotel for the 21st century, a foodie destination and place of soft-spoken luxury, in a Georgian mansion overlooking the Exe estuary.

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.

'In a beautiful position' on the shores of Loch Na Dal, in the lee of a wooded hill, this former hunting lodge offers 'comfortable bedrooms and public rooms and excellent food'.

A stroll from the quay, behind a quaint, jettied, black-and-white facade, a drop-in café, bar and restaurant has excellent pet-friendly bedrooms, approached via creaky, winding stairs.

Michael and Johanna Wignall have reimagined a 15th-century Dales inn, creating classy, contemporary bedrooms, most in annexes with views over Rylstone Fell, and intimate dining spaces in which to sample Michael's Michelin-starred cooking.

This sprawling honey-stone building with its tall chimneys and leaded windows offers history, grand rooms and antiques, along with a thoroughly modern spa and 21st-century luxuries.