GHG Cesar Winners 2026

Special
offer

Plas Dinas Country House

Caernarfon, Gwynedd

Two Night D,B&B Special Offer

With its romantic bedrooms and views across the Menai Strait, the former country residence of the Armstrong-Jones family is 'steeped in history, love and charming details – a unique property'.

Special
offer

The Scarlet

Mawgan Porth, Cornwall

'Two Night Spend Time Together' Special Offer

Eco values as well as enjoyment are fundamental to this cliff-top hotel, with sea thrift-covered roof, sweeping curves, reed-filtered pool and walls of windows to soak up the light and the seascape.

Special
offer

Hartwell House

Aylesbury, Buckinghamshire

'Three Nights for the Price of Two' Special Offer

A grand country house with both Jacobean and Georgain sides, Hartwell gazes over an 18th-century landscape, with Ionic temple, obelisk, and a lake spanned by an arch from the old Kew Bridge.

Special
offer

Pen-y-Dyffryn

Oswestry, Shropshire

February/March 25% Discount Dinner B&B Special Offer

A walker's paradise on the Welsh border, the Hunter family's very dog-friendly hotel, in a Georgian former rectory with a 'beautiful garden and views', is much beloved by readers.

Special
offer

The Priory

Wareham, Dorset

'A Night To Remember' Special Offer

There's certainly nothing monastic about this much-loved 'olde-world hotel with charm in abundance', in a 'wonderful building with a cleverly added glass dining room' looking out over gardens bordered by the River Frome.

Special
offer

The Nare

Veryan-In-Roseland, Cornwall

'Get Away From It All' Special Offer

Overlooking subtropical gardens and sandy Carne Beach, the Ashworth family's hotel delights readers with its country-house style, superlative service and retro classics in the dining room.

Special
offer

Cavens

Dumfries, Dumfries And Galloway

Winter Special Offer

'Visiting Cavens is like stepping back in time to a traditional country-house hotel,' writes a reader of Angus Fordyce's Georgian mansion, set in open countryside close to the dunes and salt marshes of the Solway coast.

Special
offer

The Star

Alfriston, Sussex

'Relax and Restore' Special Offer

There is star quality indeed at Olga and Alex Polizzi's updated version of a historic Tudor inn, in a charming medieval South Downs village.

Special
offer

The Castle Hotel

Bishop's Castle, Shropshire

30% Discount Special Offer

Perennial popular, professionally run but relaxed, this former coaching inn with views to the Shropshire hills is an ideal base for walkers and a perfect stopover within sight of the Welsh border.

Special
offer

Congham Hall

King's Lynn, Norfolk

'January Sale' Special Offer

Renowned for its beautiful gardens, this Georgian merchant's manor house is set in 30 acres of Norfolk parkland. The country theme is continued throughout – garden herbs are used in the restaurant and the spa, bedrooms are named after plants, and cabins with freestanding tubs on the terrace overlook the orchard.

Special
offer

Abbots Grange

Broadway, Worcestershire

Third Night Free and Complimentary Tea Special Offer

For lovers of art and history, the Taee family's adults-only B&B in parkland, built in the 14th century for the Abbot of Pershore and restored by genre painter F.D. Millet under William Morris's guidance, deserves every one of its five stars for its blend of superb modern hospitality and first-class facilities, with antique-filled interiors.

Chewton Glen

New Milton, Hampshire

Following a stunning redesign, this family-friendly, luxury New Forest hotel and spa continues to set the standard for country-house comfort, romance, fun and superb food.

The Meikleour Arms

Meikleour, Perth And Kinross

Sam Mercer Nairne and his Bordeaux-born wife, Claire, have created something very special at this picturesque cottage-orné -style Georgian coaching inn on the Lansdowne's estate. The hotel, pub and anglers' dream has lovely bedrooms seamlessly blending the old and new, and French-accented, seasonal estate-to-plate menus in bar and dining room.

Newforge House

Magheralin, Co. Armagh

There is a happy sense of continuity at this classic Georgian country house, where sixth-generation owners Louise and John Mathers have been welcoming guests since 2005.

The Three Daggers

Westbury, Wiltshire

'So much more than a pub with rooms', the Three Daggers has its own farm shop, brewery and spa barn with outdoor hot tub and sauna.

The Pig in the Cotswolds

Cirencester, Gloucestershire

Formerly Barnsley House, this 17th-century stone manor house became part of the Pig group in the summer of 2024, offering the expected interesting mix of rooms and hideaways, a 25-mile menu using an abundance of home-grown produce, and the bonus of beautiful gardens created by the renowned Rosemary Verey.

Number Thirty Eight Clifton

Bristol, Bristol

Enjoying an ideal location opposite Clifton Down, this twin-bayed Georgian merchant's house B&B sits atop one of Bristol's highest hills, with panoramic views.

House of George W. Davies

Worcestershire

It might look traditional on the outside, but behind the exterior of this 17th-century stone building on the High Street, King of retail George Davies has transformed interiors to blend contemporary chic and original features, with attention to every detail, while James Wilson's cooking makes for a truly memorable meal.

Hart's Hotel

Nottingham, Nottinghamshire

Modern mixes with medieval on the ramparts of what remains of Nottingham Castle, with this sleek hotel the perfect place to escape the bustling city.

Gilpin Hotel and Lake House

Windermere, Cumbria

Lakeland luxury at its finest comes courtesy of Gilpin, with its Michelin-starred dining, private hot tubs in the majority of its indulgent rooms and attentive staff. Its flagship rooms are extravagantly large glass-cube spa suites that extend over a pond and offer private garden, spa room and circular bath.

Gordon's

Inverkeilor, Angus

Garry Watson cooks up a storm at this exceptional restaurant with smart and stylish bedrooms, in a coastal hamlet close to beautiful Lunan Bay.

GHG Cesar Winners 2025

Special
offer

Bodysgallen Hall and Spa

Llandudno, Conwy

'The Great Half Price Break' Special Offer

This Tudor Gothic-style Elizabethan mansion, extended over centuries, overlooks parkland with a rare 17th-century parterre, walled rose garden, cascade, lily pond and follies.

Special
offer

Penally Abbey

Tenby, Pembrokeshire

Three Nights for the Price of Two Special Offer

There are sublime sea views from this hilltop Gothic beauty, run by a dedicated and creative family, with elegant bedrooms and gourmet dining by candlelight.

Special
offer

Ty Mawr

Brechfa, Carmarthenshire

'Winter Escape' Special Offer

A 17th-century country house on the edge of Brechfa Forest receives high praise for the warmth of the welcome, its ambience and top-notch, locally sourced food.

Special
offer

Hambleton Hall

Oakham, Rutland

'Winter Break' Special Offer

The epitome of country-house luxury with gourmet dining, Tim and Stefa Hart's hotel stands on a peninsula, overlooking beautiful gardens and the shining expanse of Rutland Water.

Special
offer

The Castle Hotel

Bishop's Castle, Shropshire

30% Discount Special Offer

Perennial popular, professionally run but relaxed, this former coaching inn with views to the Shropshire hills is an ideal base for walkers and a perfect stopover within sight of the Welsh border.

Special
offer

The Cookie Jar

Alnwick, Northumberland

Three Nights for the Price of Two Special Offer

A jar of cookies in the bedroom is just one of the quirks at this fun, intimate boutique hotel, with bedrooms that mix vintage and modern, contemporary British cooking, great service – and Alnwick Castle a stroll away.

Special
offer

The White Horse

Brancaster Staithe, Norfolk

Third Night B&B Free Special Offer

The superb setting of the Nye family's hotel overlooking salt marshes to the sea and Scolt Head Island is matched by 'exceptional food and service', say readers who go back year after year.

Special
offer

Rathmullan House

Rathmullan, Co. Donegal

Spring Great Escape Special Offer

Pass the little gate lodge to drive up to this bay-fronted country house in wooded grounds edged by a beach on Lough Swilly.

Special
offer

The Traddock

Settle, North Yorkshire

Yorkshire Gourmet Break Special Offer

Family run, dog-friendly and beloved of readers, the Reynolds's small country-house hotel is praised for its comfort, service and ambitious cooking.

The Collective at Woolsery

Devon

With produce sourced from its own farm and organic market garden, and beautifully styled and lavishly equipped bedrooms spread across cottages and above the village shop, this is a truly exceptional gastropub, a great place for foodies.

Mill End Hotel

Chagford, Devon

The River Teign runs through the garden of this dog-friendly country-house hotel with a wide choice of rooms, a warm and friendly ambience, good food, and great walks from the door.

Mingary Castle

Kilchoan, Highland

Within a medieval castle and Georgian house above the Sound of Mull, this remote restaurant with rooms has four fantastic suites, spectacular views, and no less memorable cooking by chef-proprietor Colin Nicholson.

Le Manoir aux Quat'Saisons

Great Milton, Oxfordshire

For more than 40 years, Raymond Blanc has held two Michelin stars at this beautiful country-house hotel 'and in our opinion, it's a travesty that he hasn't been awarded three', say Guide insiders.

Hotel Endsleigh

Tavistock, Devon

Olga Polizzi's beautifully styled Georgian fishing lodge, built for the Duke of Bedford and scandalous Duchess Georgiana, stands in a picturesque designed landscape with the River Tamar running through.

The Seaside Boarding House

Burton Bradstock, Dorset

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 seriously good cooking in the restaurant.

The Blonde Hedgehog

Alderney, Alderney

On this remote island of woodland, wetlands and sandy beaches, Julie-Anne Uggla's hotel combines the friendly ambience of a local drop-in with beautiful boutique bedrooms and locally sourced cooking of a very high order.

The Howard Arms

Stratford-Upon-Avon, Warwickshire

It was nearly Howard's end in 2015 before two local families stepped in to restore the fortunes of this 'traditional village pub on the village green', which makes a great base for exploring the Cotswolds with its 'upmarket pub food, good service and excellent breakfasts'.

The Terrace

Ventnor

Forget bed and breakfast and make it wine, bed and breakfast at this boutique guest house in Ashley and Tom Fahey's Italianate Victorian villa overlooking the promenade.

Prestonfield

Edinburgh

With peacocks in the garden, kilt-wearing staff, fire-warmed sitting rooms and antiques at every turn, this 17th-century country house is an indulgent place to stay.

Lime Wood

Lyndhurst, Hampshire

A New Forest bolthole, this country-house hotel has an easy glamour, romantic and family-friendly rooms, heart-warming Italian food and top-notch spa.

Cesar Winners 2024

Special
offer

Knockinaam Lodge

Stranraer, Dumfries And Galloway

10% Discount Special Offer

Where the road ends and the Irish Sea begins, this former Victorian hunting lodge with a private cove is secluded, unapologetically traditional and rich in comforts and good food.

Special
offer

Harbourmaster Hotel

Aberaeron, Ceredigion

'Sundays by the Sea' 25% Discount Special Offer

An iconic landmark on the harbour front, this bright-blue-painted former harbourmaster's house is home to a hotel with a great choice of individually styled bedrooms and an unpretentious restaurant, big on fish.

Special
offer

Plumber Manor

Sturminster Newton, Dorset

Winter D,B&B Special Offer Special Offer

For more than 50 years, the Prideaux-Brune family have welcomed guests to their ancestral Jacobean manor house in an English country garden with the Divelish stream skipping through.

Special
offer

The Beech House and Olive Branch

Clipsham, Rutland

Special 25th Anniversary Midweek Two Night Break Special Offer

'People come here for the food, and for good reason,' says a Guide insider of this buzzy pub with rooms, which is 'very much ye olde village inn, with rustic furniture and roaring fires under the beams'.

The Rookery

London, London

With the feel of a private club rather than a hotel, this beautifully restored Georgian property lies behind the 18th-century facade of three shop-houses in a once-notorious area that is now filled with hip eateries and bars.

Hazel Bank

Keswick Rosthwaite, United Kingdom

Readers return time and again to Gary and Donna MacRae's small, adults-only country-house hotel in woodland gardens, with immaculate bedrooms, fell views, and outstanding nightly set-price dinner, preceded by aperitifs and canapés in the lounge.

The Harper

Holt, Norfolk

You don't have to blow a fortune to stay at this relaxed yet refined hotel in some converted barns, the former home of Langham Glass, and featuring many charming nods to its heritage.

The Inn at Whitewell

Clitheroe, Lancashire

Overlooking the River Hodder in the Forest of Bowland, this sprawling 18th-century manor house is joyously traditional, with stone-flagged floors, open fires, bags of atmosphere and great food.

Boys Hall

Ashford, Kent

Just five minutes and a world away from Ashford International, Brad and Kristie Lomas's 17th-century manor house in an oasis garden is a fine country-house hotel and foodie destination.

The Retreat at Elcot Park

Newbury, Berkshire

With the emphasis on laid-back luxury, this Regency mansion in parkland, once home to Percy Shelley's mother, is today a country-house hotel that is part of the Signet Collection, offering surprisingly affordable bedrooms, a swish spa, a brasserie and pan-Asian restaurant.

Ballymaloe House

Shanagarry, Co. Cork

Set on a 300-acre working farm, this legendary country-house hotel began life in 1964 as a restaurant run by farmer's wife Myrtle Allen, using produce from the farm and walled kitchen garden, and has grown into a thriving business, with cookery school, café and arts venue ,while keeping faith with its founding principles.

Cesar Winners 2023

Special
offer

Penally Abbey

Tenby, Pembrokeshire

Three Nights for the Price of Two Special Offer

There are sublime sea views from this hilltop Gothic beauty, run by a dedicated and creative family, with elegant bedrooms and gourmet dining by candlelight.

Eddrachilles Hotel

Scourie, Highland

Fiona and Richard Trevor are perfect hands-on hosts at this former manse with breathtaking views across Badcall Bay to Assynt, immaculate, comfortable bedrooms, imaginative cooking and a truly warm, hospitable vibe.

The Mustard Seed at Echo Lodge

Ballingarry, Co. Limerick

Guests' happiness is paramount for host John Edward Joyce at his characterful, eclectically furnished country house with charming bedrooms and exquisite but unstuffy fine dining in the Mustard Seed restaurant.

The Henley

Bigbury-On-Sea, Devon

The 'amazing views' over Bigbury-on-Sea's sands towards Burgh Island are what first impress about this former Edwardian holiday home, but guests also appreciate the 'wonderful welcome, comfortable, characterful bedrooms, and accomplished cooking' at The Henley.

Westmorland Hotel

Penrith, Cumbria

Banish images of fast-food outlets and slot machines when you break your journey at Tebay on wild and woolly Shap Fell, 60 miles from the Scottish border.

Morston Hall

Holt, Norfolk

Birdwatchers and bon vivants beat a path to Tracy and Galton Blackiston's Michelin-starred restaurant with rooms in a flint farmhouse with Blakeney nature reserve on the doorstep.

The Double Red Duke

Bampton, Oxfordshire

The red-and-white candy-striped parasols outside this wisteria-swagged foodie pub with beautifully styles rooms send an irresistible message: come in, it’s fun.

No.15 by GuestHouse

Bath, Somerset

Three Grade I listed Georgian townhouses combine as one boutique but indulgently child-friendly hotel and spa, with highly individual and beautiful bedrooms, all with vinyl record player and espresso machine, touches of whimsy, a bar serving cocktails and imaginative small and large plates.

Forest Side

Grasmere

At the heart of Wordsworth country, this Victorian Gothic mansion in 43 acres is home to a cool, super-luxury hotel, where chef Paul Leonard draws inspiration from the Lakeland landscape to compose Michelin-starred menus using produce from the walled kitchen garden and Cumbria's abundant larder.

The Pig in the Forest

Brockenhurst, Hampshire

Pigs have foraged in the New Forest since the Norman Conquest, but a different breed arrived in 2011, when Robin Hutson took on a Georgian hunting lodge and reinvented the English country-house hotel, with a shabby-chic style mixing designer wallpapers and boot-sale finds in characterful house rooms and hideaway suites. Seasonal menus feature produce from the bountiful kitchen garden.

Cesar Winners 2022

Special
offer

Askham Hall

Penrith, Cumbria

Foodie Midweek Break Special Offer

With a Michelin-starred restaurant, Grade II listed garden, 17th-century pele tower and French drawing room, Askham Hall sounds as if it might be very formal; not a bit of it. 'The most homely stately hotel we have ever stayed in,' reports one reader.

The Bell at Skenfrith

Monmouthshire

Huddled below wooded hills, beside a stone bridge over the River Monnow, this whitewashed former 17th-century coaching inn serves delicious food and has great walks from the door to help you justify eating it.

Porth Tocyn Hotel

Abersoch, Gwynedd

Guide readers are unswervingly loyal to this family-friendly country house by the sea, with peerless views to Snowdonia across Cardigan Bay, run by the Fletcher-Brewer family since opening in 1948.

Newbegin House

Beverley, Yorkshire

You could imagine you were staying in the cherished home of old and dear friends when you book into Walter and Nuala Sweeney's five-star B&B, a handsome Georgian house filled with antiques and artworks, carriage clocks, curios and crammed bookshelves, and with fine original features.

Plantation House

Plymouth, Devon

From bread to truffles, they cook as much as possible on site in this 'very cosy and friendly hotel', in the rolling South Hams countryside between wild Dartmoor and the sandy beaches of Bigbury Bay.

Locanda on the Weir

Exmoor National Park, Somerset

Where Exmoor meets the Bristol Channel, this foodie retreat that oozes personality and style has 'very comfortable rooms with lovely sea views; the food is up there with many Michelin-starred restaurants'.

Helen Browning's Royal Oak

Swindon, Wiltshire

Bags of character and a warm vibe are on offer at this pub with rooms on an organic farm in a pretty village on the Marlborough Downs.

Cesar Winners 2021

Special
offer

The Scarlet

Mawgan Porth, Cornwall

'Two Night Spend Time Together' Special Offer

Eco values as well as enjoyment are fundamental to this cliff-top hotel, with sea thrift-covered roof, sweeping curves, reed-filtered pool and walls of windows to soak up the light and the seascape.

The Grasmere Hotel

Grasmere, Cumbria

The River Rothay runs past the back garden of this small country-house hotel with attractive, individually styled bedrooms and good food.

Lewtrenchard Manor

Okehampton, Devon

Reopened in July 2025 after a £3 million refurbishment for the Original Collection, this extraordinary Jacobean-style manor house in landscaped gardens, the work of an eccentric Victorian squire and parson, has country-house style bedrooms and fine-dining restaurant, dogs and children welcome.

The Angel Inn

Skipton, Yorkshire

Michael and Johanna Wignall have reimagined a 15th-century Dales inn, creating super-stylish, uncluttered, luxury bedrooms, most in a converted barn with views over Rylstone Fell, and intimate dining spaces in which to sample Michael's technically brilliant, modern, seasonal, Michelin-starred menus.

Roundwood House

Mountrath, Co. Laois

Hannah and Paddy Flynn are welcoming hosts at their fabulous Palladian villa in native woodland, filled with heirlooms and auction finds, where guitar-strumming chef Paddy cooks a nightly menu, breakfast eggs are from the resident hens, and a library in the coach house is devoted to the study of civilisation.

The Peat Inn

Cupar, Fife

A dream destination for golfing gourmets, just a 12-minute drive from St Andrews, Geoffrey and Katherine Smeddle's restaurant with rooms holds a Michelin star for Geoffrey's creative menus of ingredients sourced locally from land and sea.

Baraset Barn

Stratford-Upon-Avon, Warwickshire

Close to Stratford-upon-Avon, this gastropub has 16 attractive, generously equipped bedrooms in an annexe block, each with a Juliet balcony or patio. It serves sophisticated dishes alongside pub classics indoors and out.

Cesar Winners 2020

Special
offer

The Angel Hotel

Abergavenny, Monmouthshire

Botanical Life-Drawing Break Special Offer

Behind a neo-classical façade, this Georgian coaching inn is a happy mix of local drop-in, hotel and restaurant, with 'comfortable rooms, good food and welcoming staff', says a returning reader.

Special
offer

Southernhay House

Exeter, Devon

25% Discount Two-Night Mini-Break Special Offer

A Roman Doric portico makes a swanky statement about this Grade II listed Georgian house, but within lies a stylish yet relaxed and fun boutique hotel that is an oasis in the heart of the city.

Special
offer

The Old Coastguard

Penzance, Cornwall

Winter Escape Special Offer

In an enchanting Cornish fishing village not far from beaches and gardens, the Inkin brothers' third pub with rooms has long been a firm favourite with readers.

Old Downton Lodge

Ludlow, Shropshire

Amid rolling hills, where Shropshire nudges Herefordshire, Pippa and Willem Vlok's restaurant with rooms comprises a picturesque set piece of medieval and Georgian farm buildings.

Underleigh House

Hope, Derbyshire

With walks from the doorstep, views of Peak District hills, a peaceful garden, breakfast feasts and restful bedrooms, it's no surprise that Underleigh wins so much praise.

Foresters Hall

Cowes

With their background in TV and film, Sara Curran and Peter Sussman are experts in presentation. Since taking over in April 2022, they have hung artworks collected on their travels, refreshed the beautiful interiors, and added a Michelin-recommended brasserie to their 'exceptional hotel'.

Read's

Faversham, Kent

A Georgian manor house is home to a restaurant with spacious, old-fashioned bedrooms, where Frederick Forster, a former Roux Scholar, has been winning plaudits for his creative ways with locally sourced ingredients.

The Pipe and Glass Inn

South Dalton, Yorkshire

In an enchanting village, this coaching inn retains the ambience of a friendly local, with its beamed bar and real ales. But indulgent main-house bedrooms with private patio together with Michelin-starred chef James Mackenzie's spin on classic British dishes, lift it way above the ordinary.

Cesar Winners 2019

Special
offer

The Nare

Veryan-In-Roseland, Cornwall

'Get Away From It All' Special Offer

Overlooking subtropical gardens and sandy Carne Beach, the Ashworth family's hotel delights readers with its country-house style, superlative service and retro classics in the dining room.

Special
offer

Tudor Farmhouse

Clearwell, Gloucestershire

Three for the Price of Two Special Offer

The rustic-chic bedrooms in farmhouse, cider house and barn at this rural Wye valley retreat in the Forest of Dean are all excellent, but the cooking is a still-greater attraction.

The Star Inn at Harome

Nr Helmsley, Yorkshire

The Michelin-starred cuisine at this thatched gastropub in quiet Harome is the draw, but the rooms are special too, as is the setting, close to the North York Moors for a day's walking.

Pentonbridge Inn

Penton, Cumbria

In the Debatable Lands, just south of the Scottish border, Gerald and Margo Smith's stylish, Michelin-starred restaurant with rooms scored very highly with a trusted Guide reader – and no debate about that!

Gregans Castle Hotel

Ballyvaughan, Co. Clare

It may not be a castle but this rambling 18th-century manor house, wrapped in gardens and with views over the otherworldly karst landscape of the Burren, has its own romantic charm, a fine-dining restaurant,, modern comforts and an ambience of calm.

Kinloch Lodge

Isle Of Skye, Highland

Antiques and ancestral portraits fill Lord and Lady Macdonald's hunting lodge, in a beautiful situation on the shores of Loch Na Dal. It is now run by daughter Isabella, with country-house bedrooms, a three-course dinner featuring home-grown produce, and a ghillie on hand for fishing, stalking and foraging.

Knockendarroch Hotel

Pitlochry, Perthshire

With contemporary country-house comforts, a wide choice of bedrooms, glorious views , and modern Scottish cooking in a light-filled dining room, Struan and Louise Lothian's well-cared-for hotel is a lovely place to relax, and a great base for walkers and cyclists wishing to explore the Perthshire countryside.

Cesar Winners 2017

Battlesteads

Hexham, Northumberland

Two and Three Night Taster Menu Special Offers

A superb base for stargazing at Battlesteads Observatory, this hotel, restaurant and village pub, with five new, dog-friendly eco-timber lodges, is commended for championing sustainable tourism, and for its use of home-grown produce in à la carte and tasting menus for omnivores and vegetarians.

Brocco on the Park

Sheffield, Yorkshire

Behind the solid exterior of an Edwardian park-side villa lies a Scandi-chic boutique hotel and popular drop-in restaurant.

Ael y Bryn

Crymych, Pembrokeshire

Readers consistently praise this owner-run B&B with immaculate and generously supplied rooms in a single-storey building, beautifully maintained gardens with stream and wildlife pond, and, by arrangement, dinner cooked by caring and attentive hosts.

Gravetye Manor

East Grinstead, West Sussex

Amid 1,000 acres of historically important gardens, pleasure grounds and woodland, this romantic Elizabethan manor house, built by an ironmaster for his bride, forms an impressive backdrop for Michelin-starred cuisine.

Hell Bay Hotel

Bryher, Isles Of Scilly

With 'nothing in between to Canada', this pretty blue-and-white weatherboarded farmhouse, which sits above a secluded cove on Bryher's rugged west-facing coast, is England's most westerly hotel.

The Royal Oak

Salisbury, Wiltshire

Rescued after languishing empty for seven years, this 18th-century part-thatched former tannery turned village ale house has been renovated in a style of rustic simplicity, with dog-friendly, unfussy bedrooms, a dining room serving a short menu of pub classics and more complex dishes, and a pleasant, leafy garden.

Cesar Winners 2016

Hazel Bank

Keswick Rosthwaite, United Kingdom

Readers return time and again to Gary and Donna MacRae's small, adults-only country-house hotel in woodland gardens, with immaculate bedrooms, fell views, and outstanding nightly set-price dinner, preceded by aperitifs and canapés in the lounge.

Hotel Endsleigh

Tavistock, Devon

Olga Polizzi's beautifully styled Georgian fishing lodge, built for the Duke of Bedford and scandalous Duchess Georgiana, stands in a picturesque designed landscape with the River Tamar running through.

The Middleton Lodge Estate

Richmond, Yorkshire

Leave the fuss and fret of the AI(M) at Scotch Corner to reconnect with the land at this idyllic hotel, centred on a Georgian coach house amid gardens, parkland and woodland.

Augill Castle

Kirkby Stephen, Cumbria

With its towers and battlements this Victorian-folly castle, in 15 acres of grounds, looks imposing yet 'you actually feel like it is your castle'.

Grove of Narberth

Narberth, Pembrokeshire

Down a tree-lined drive, amid meadows and mature garden, this romantic and secluded Georgian country house has cosseting bedrooms with a modern touch, suites in cottage annexes, two with a glass-box lounge, and both a fine-dining restaurant and a brasserie.

The Lord Crewe Arms

Blanchland, Northumberland

This historic hotel in a conservation village is home to the barrel-vaulted Crypt bar while bedrooms (most across the road at The Angel) blend contemporary chic and modern comfort with notes of rusticity.

The winners of our 2026 César awards have been announced. Named after the legendary Swiss ‘King of Hoteliers’, César Ritz, our Césars, ‘the Oscars of hotel-keeping’, were launched in 1986, nine years after the Guide’s founding. César winners are the best of the best, judged by us to be the most outstanding in their region, or in each of our ‘Editor’s Choice’ categories. These categories vary slightly from year to year and have expanded from an initial ten to 21.

While we have no ‘Best Newcomer’ award this time, we are excited about two winners new to The Guide, the richly atmospheric Abbots Grange (Best Romantic), and The House of George W. Davies (Best Foodie), which thrilled our inspector when it opened in August 2025. Though both hotels, by chance, are in Broadway, Worcestershire (increasingly a hotel hotspot), they are strikingly different, one steeped in history, the other, behind its traditional façade, at the cutting edge of fashion.

Abbots Grange could equally have been a contender for ‘Best Historic’, introduced in collaboration with Britain magazine, but that accolade went to Hartwell House in the Chilterns, a grand mansion in parkland, beautifully maintained by the National Trust, with the ambience of a stately home, artworks and antiques.

Best for Garden Lovers, the Pig in the Cotswolds is both new to the Césars and an old awards favourite. The former Barnsley House in Gloucestershire, it is the latest addition to the burgeoning Pig collection, with landscaped gardens laid out from the 1950s by Rosemary Verey, doyenne of the English garden style.

As regular readers will know, certain special hotels may crop up more than once on our awards lists, simply because they are so consistently excellent. The Nare and The Scarlet (Best Seaside and Best with Spa), both in Cornwall, are no strangers to our lists, nor is Newforge House in Co. Armagh (Best in Ireland), which is run with such heart and soul by Louise and John Mathers.

Hart’s Hotel in Nottingham, which scooped Best in City/Town, is an eco-friendly contemporary venture for Tim and Steffa Hart, whose former hunting box, Hambleton Hall, overlooking Rutland Water, has been repeatedly recognised by this Guide for country-house comforts, delightful grounds and Michelin-starred cuisine.

Then, even as Henry Hunter’s friendly and affordable Castle Hotel in Shropshire has been rated Best for Dogs, the Hunter family’s Pen y Dyffryn is sitting pretty as Best in the Midlands.

As always, the César winners are diverse, reflecting the eclecticism that is so characteristic of the Guide. They range from Sam and Claire Mercer Nairne’s quaint and characterful pub with rooms and fishing hotel, The Meikleour Arms (Best in Scotland), to the ever-innovative, luxurious but family-friendly Chewton Glen on the edge of the New Forest (Best in the South), and the sensational Gilpin Hotel and Lake House, Windermere (Best in the North). Gordon’s in coastal Inverkeilor, an intimate mother-and-son enterprise (Best Restaurant with Rooms), and Chad Pike’s The Three Daggers in Wiltshire (Best Pub with Rooms), comfortably hold their own alongside Congham Hall in Norfolk, a Georgian manor house so brilliantly restored and cared for by Nicholas Dickinson as the nightmare von Essen years fade from memory.

When choosing hotels for awards – and, indeed, awards for hotels – we are heavily influenced by readers’ feedback and, of course, by our inspectors’ reports. Some hotels attract perennial flurries of reports, including from readers whom we have long known and trusted. Now and then we receive a single report so detailed, plausible and perceptive that we are bound to take notice.

No hotel is a shoo-in, and all are eligible for consideration. In this, you can play an essential part by dropping us a line to let us know of recent positive experiences, a warm welcome, a great meal, a fabulous room, exceptional service… As we have so often said, readers’ reports are the life blood of the Guide, and you, too, can have your say, so please stay in touch.