'Unparalleled views over the Severn Valley' can be seen from this hotel, in extensive grounds high above the Malvern Hills.

More a stylish gastropub than a community hub, this historic inn has a loyal following of foodies who rave about its 'delicious meals' as well as its 'lovely quiet rooms'.

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

Inventive cooking of beautifully presented dishes impress at this gastropub overlooking the Evenlode valley, with four rooms that are smart but not ostentatiously 'designer'.

Quirkiness abounds at this contemporary hotel in a remodelled Victorian mansion, decorated with witty eclecticism, featuring modish, well-equipped bedrooms and an all-day menu of modern British dishes served in the restaurant or on the terrace amid dining pavilions and fire pits.

If the Borrowers opened a hotel, it would probably be something like Nick and Charlotte Dent's Georgian farmhouse, filled with upcycled objets trouvés.

With the Chatsworth estate on the doorstep, the Duke and Duchess of Devonshire's Peak District hotel has had a ravishing makeover to complement the superb food in its restaurants.

Whether you turn up with muddy boots or in your Sunday best, with wet dogs or children, you will be greeted with a warm welcome at this jolly country inn between Windermere and Beatrix Potter's Hill Top home.

Just over a mile from York, this imposing William and Mary country house in 20 acres of beautiful gardens and parkland offers 'luxurious rooms and amazing food'.

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.

'Our stay was wonderful – the staff, the food and our lovely room were exceptional,’ readers wrote of a stay at this luxury hotel, a historic country house, extended in the 1800s for the Witts family, rectors and later Lords of Upper Slaughter.

'A hidden gem on the Welsh border', the Hunter family's 'highly dog-friendly' hotel, in a Georgian former rectory, can again bask in the praise from our readers,

Behind the pretty façade of a Georgian town house in an affluent market town, this hotel is a perfect retreat, with small spa, oasis garden and croquet lawn.

A brook runs by the terrace of this smartly refurbished gastropub with rooms, where you can eat locally sourced, imaginative dishes in the restaurant or alfresco, or simply enjoy a pint with the locals.

'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'.

An Edwardian country house in long-time family ownership is run as a spa hotel, restaurant and leisure destination with facilities for golf, tennis, bowls, croquet, swimming.

Renowned for its herb garden, with some 400 varieties, 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 spa, bedrooms are named after plants, and cabins with freestanding tubs on the terrace overlook the orchard.

Above Windermere, this Edwardian country house lies in gardens that melt into the glorious landscape. The hotel is part of the Storrs Collection (see Storrs Hall).

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

A romantic Elizabethan-style Edwardian mansion, built for a Manchester cotton bleacher and set in landscaped gardens, is the epitome of a well-run country house hotel.

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.

Ethical sourcing and sustainability are at the heart of this organic pub with beautifully styled rooms and imaginative food featuring local and seasonal produce.

Above the rugged cliffs and white-sand beaches of Lizard Point, Cornwall's most southerly hotel is being reinvented as a contemporary retreat in harmony with nature and the seasons, and a choice of tempting dining options.

A splendid Victorian-gothic mansion in parkland, minutes' drive from Scarborough, Wrea Hall has been repurposed as a luxury hotel with very characterful bedrooms and a fine-dining restaurant.

A more affordable sister to the Devonshire Arms – though no poor relation – this hotel began life as a Victorian gentleman’s club.

With many features dating from the 15th century, this well-restored old farmhouse stands in large, landscaped gardens amid serene countryside. The hotel and restaurant, part of the Nye family's Anglian Country Inns, have intimate sitting areas and warming fires in inglenook fireplaces.

A beautiful, romantic and historic B&B in parkland, this 14th-century monastic manor house, rich in medieval detail and furnished with antiques, once counted Mark Twain, Claude Monet, Edward Elgar and Oscar Wilde among its house guests.