Behind the unmissable Tudor black-and-white façade of this former coaching inn and architectural gem you will find bedrooms blending modern comforts with original features, delightful staff, imaginative sharing plates and brasserie dishes in the restaurant and bar.

A beautifully proportioned Queen Anne-style mansion overlooking a duck pond, this much-loved traditional hotel has a new owner, but, after 48 years, Baba Hine remains, overseeing restaurant, bistro and well-equipped, spacious bedrooms.

Food is at the heart of this hotel, with bedrooms of great charm in an ancient farmhouse and its converted outbuildings, an on-site cookery school and farm-to-fork menus of exciting, locally sourced dishes.

Fashion stylist Marie-Clare Mawle is a caring hostess at her adults-only B&B with just two bedrooms and views over mature gardens bordered by the River Severn.

In gardens bordered by the old castle moat, two knocked-together Georgian villas combine to form one beautiful, friendly hotel, with elegant and generously equipped bedrooms and suites, and exciting cooking in the conservatory using produce from the family farm.

Without and within, this dog-friendly, family-friendly, extended 19th-century pub, part of the Butcombe chain, is a mix of traditional and modern, with a relaxed vibe, varied menus and smart, unstuffy bedrooms.

Tea and cake await new arrivals at this well-run B&B, with spotless bedrooms in a Victorian former coach house set around a courtyard, each with its own entrance, and a bright little breakfast room.

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.

Between town and racecourse in a conservation area close to Pittville Park, Nirav Sheth's friendly hotel is in a fine 1830s stone mansion and offers boutique-style bedrooms plus a good breakfast served in a hand-painted dining room.