In ‘lovely Cotswold stone buildings around a pretty courtyard’, this mostly 16th-century former coaching inn has had a stylish make-over.

‘We stumbled across the hotel quite by accident – oh, serendipity! We plan to return.’ Newcomers this year to the Hine family’s ‘gracious’ pink brick Queen Anne coaching inn join a loyal following,

The food is the main course at Janine and Richard Burton’s restaurant-with-rooms. ‘How I wish we had a restaurant anywhere near as good as this where I live now,’ writes a regular reader this year, after returning to her old Rutland haunt.

Readers ‘had a really lovely, relaxing stay’ at Lila Arora’s apricot-washed Georgian mansion, approached by an avenue of lime trees amid sheep-grazed pastures.

Surrounded by manicured lawns, wild meadow flowers and woodland, this Cotswold-stone manor house, a few miles outside Tetbury, has ‘exceptional staff, excellent service, delightful furnishings’.

‘We were welcomed with a complimentary Pimm’s,’ write Guide insiders, who dined at James Moffett’s historic stone manor house in the Peak District national park.

Overlooking National Trust parkland, this Georgian country house has ‘a real sense of grandeur’, say inspectors in 2018.

A lovely little hotel,’ writes a reader on a return visit to Hari and Colin Fell’s ingeniously converted farm buildings in the Forest of Dean.

Returning guests in 2018 ‘enjoyed a relaxing time in warmth and comfort’ at Tim Hart’s purpose-built hotel, on the former ramparts of Nottingham’s medieval castle.

From the moment of arrival at this Tudor manor house on the banks of the River Wye, say readers, ‘we knew this was the place where we wanted to spend time.’

‘We were made so welcome and were well looked after,’ writes a reader, of a stay at this pub-with-rooms at the meeting point of two old drovers’ roads.

‘Twin sentinel clipped yews’ stand at the entrance of this 15th-century half-timbered stone hotel, part of the Cotswolds Inns and Hotels group.

In a ‘stunning setting’ that inspired CS Lewis, this 18th-century dower house stands high in the Malvern hills.

With ‘superb views’ of spectacular limestone cliffs, Chris and Zoe Hipwell’s Georgian town house hotel is ‘a very special spot’ near the River Derwent.

A cheerful welcome awaits horses, hikers and hounds at Izzy Barnard’s wild flower-filled Georgian house in prime Shropshire hacking and walking country.

A series of disused outbuildings on the Marriott family’s small arable farm has been converted into homely B&B rooms.

In cluster of Cotswold stone buildings, Chris York and Kate Lewis run their all-round inviting pub-with-rooms with great community spirit.

The Slater siblings have country comfort down to a fine art at their stylish 18th-century coaching inn – a local hotspot for real ales, signature cocktails and zesty pub classics.

A smart trot up the bridleway stands artist Jane Haigh’s rural B&B.

‘In a pretty south Cotswolds village’, this is a ‘fun, relaxing place’. A Palladian mansion with Arts and Crafts refinements and an Italianate logia, it was recently made over for the Calcot Collection.

‘A lovely, family-friendly hotel,’ was Guide inspectors’ verdict on this 16th-century stone manor house with spa in beautiful grounds, ‘looking out over rolling hills’.

Close to Batsford Park, once home to the Mitfords, and its arboretum, this Cotswold-stone Georgian inn remains friendly and affordable after a seamless transition from private ownership to the Cirrus Inns group in 2016.

A 17th-century mellow stone building overlooking the ‘broad way’ with its cafés, antique shops and milling tourists, is run as a well-regarded restaurant-with-rooms by Andrew and Gaynor Riley.

‘Timberstone remains a great favourite,’ writes a Guide regular this year after staying at Tracey Baylis and Alex Read’s B&B in the undulating landscape immortalized by AE Housman.