Saved from decay, completely refurbished, fitted out with flair and a sense of fun, this Georgian coaching inn has bedrooms of great character and seriously good food.

'Gardez la Foi' reads the Poulett family motto over the door of this thatched, ham-stone village pub, and the trio behind the Beckford group (see The Beckford Arms, Tisbury) have kept absolute faith with their winning concept here. The ambience is friendly and relaxed.

Eclectic menus and stellar cooking are a big attraction at this 14th-century clergy house, now a restaurant-led hotel with recently renovated bedrooms that combine pale paint finishes with designer wallpaper.

As much restaurant-with-rooms as friendly local, this 18th-century village pub, run by a husband-and-wife team, offers smart accommodation and cooking of a very high order.

This modest Georgian house, built for the Earl and Countess of Poulett, has been much extended since Jane Austen visited and fell in love with Lyme.

A Georgian house on the owners' small holding is run as a guest house and restaurant with beautifully styled bedrooms, heated pool, tennis court, and an ethos inspired by Italian agriturismo.

High on the cliff top above Chesil Beach, this is an effortlessly hip, relaxed, fun hotel with a Cape Cod vibe, light and airy bedrooms, a bar serving cocktails and brilliant snacks, with seriously good cooking in the restaurant.

Thomas Hardy fans will be in their element at this local watering hole in Dorset, which was the model for 'The Sow and Acorn' in Tess of the d'Urbervilles.

Country-house luxury abounds at this child-friendly, dog-friendly hotel, a Georgian mansion, its ‘well-maintained gardens a huge joy to visit’.

The Gloriana of Robin Hutson's Pig hotel collection (see other entries), this Grade I-listed Elizabethan beauty stands in 'wonderful grounds in a special location' in the peaceful Otter valley.