Thick stone walls, beamed ceilings, works by local artists, an inglenook fire and ‘friendly, hospitable hosts’ give this 16th-century country house-turned-hotel heaps of rustic charm.

‘Timeless standards of comfort’ keep guests coming back to this Italianate mansion ‘in a wonderful position’ on the River Usk.

Approached via quiet lanes bordered by hedgerows and dark-limbed trees, Jean-Pierre Mifsud’s Victorian hunting lodge-turned-country house hotel stands in extensive grounds stretching to a lake on the River Irfon.

Amid stone walls and wooded lanes deep in the Wye valley, Chris and Kirsty Harrod’s Michelin-starred restaurant-with-rooms is liked for its ‘relaxing atmosphere’, ‘excellent, professional staff’ and ‘unpretentious, really super food’.

‘A congenial atmosphere and a happy buzz’ greeted Guide inspectors arriving at Richard Ireton and Sarah Hudson’s refurbished 17th-century coaching inn, in a ‘postcard-worthy rural setting’ by the stone bridge over the River Monnow.

In the Tal-y-llyn valley, with Cadair Idris for a backdrop, Alex Yorke and Lorraine Hinkins are the ‘dedicated hosts’ at this 18th-century farmhouse–turned–‘exceptional guest house’.

Readers are unequivocal in their praise for Beverley and David Harrison-Wood’s ‘startlingly good guest house’, in a 19th-century mansion refurbished to eco-friendly standards.