‘Stylish but informal, fun and relaxing – a grand job overall.’

‘You can hear the sounds of birds all around’ this converted 14th-century farmhouse.

Up the tree- and hedgerow-lined road from the National Arboretum, this Cotswold-stone country hotel stands in gardens and woodland.

The Pear Tree at Purton closed down on January 2nd, 2018. It has had an entry in the Guide for many years. Anne Young, the owner, who has retired after more than 30 years helping customers, says: 'making happy memories for guests has been a pleasure.'

Countryside chic fills this 17th-century farmhouse on a ridge above vast fields beyond the Cotswold village.

Romance is in the air, along with the birdsong of robins, nuthatches and chaffinches, at this golden-hued manor house in a pretty Cotswold village.

‘However you look at it, it’s truly a delight.’

‘We wanted old-world charm with modern facilities, and we got it – down to the cosy bar and the slightly sloping wooden floors.’

In this Cotswold town on the River Windrush, duck under the wisteria-draped arch of this well-updated hotel and enter a building rife with history.

Guests in search of an ‘authentic, olde-worlde atmosphere’ find it in the flagstone passageways, huge fireplaces, wonky beams and creaky floorboards of this 15th-century coaching inn, in an ‘exquisitely preserved’ National Trust village.

An open fire in the entrance hall sets the tone at Jeremy Mogford’s clubby, upmarket hotel, a much-extended 17th-century building where visitors give in to the charms of bookish Oxford.

Charles II is said to have slept here, and medieval beams and Georgian panelling attest to a long history, but this former coaching inn couldn’t be more ready for the 21st century.

‘We had a great time.’ Fifteen minutes’ drive from Cheltenham, this contemporary country house and spa stands in acres of parkland, woods and meadows, a laid-back atmosphere all around.

Come for the pizzas, stay for the pause – in one of the bright, contemporary bedrooms at this refurbished honey-stone inn, eight miles from Oxford city centre.