‘In a peaceful village near Lavenham’, this 15th-century former coaching inn is ‘full of character warm, casual, intimate, relaxed’.

‘One of my favourite hotels,’ writes a trusted reader, who spent four nights at the Nye family’s inn with views across salt marshes to the sea. ‘Good location, nice room, excellent food.’

In the Stour valley, close to the Essex border, Richard Sunderland’s pub-with-rooms stands in the ‘village centre, surrounded by landscaped gardens, with views over lovely countryside’.

‘A delight not only for art lovers but for all who visit,’ say Guide inspectors this year of Ivor Braka’s unique pub-with-rooms that upgrades to a full entry.

A bit of country cool has turned a neglected Victorian pub into a ‘terrific’ inn that retains its village local cachet.

In the middle of a ‘pretty’ village, this ‘intimate’ restaurant-with-rooms is liked for its ‘high-quality’ accommodation and ‘excellent food’.

‘Unpretentious and friendly’, the creeper-covered red-brick building has been a good base for outdoorsy sorts since the Tudors’ reign.

A ‘comfortable, welcoming’ spot in a market town close to the Suffolk coast, this popular 16th-century coaching inn now offers ‘cool’, modern interiors alongside traditional hospitality.

Paths through open countryside lead to the shady horse chestnut tree that guards this pretty, thatch-roofed country inn.

Visitors answering the call of the wild birds at the RSPB nature reserve at Minsmere convene with locals at this 12th-century coaching inn, much-liked for its dog-friendly atmosphere.