Hotels, B&Bs, country houses, inns, restaurants with rooms

Lyme Regis with its Cobb, described in The French Lieutenant’s Woman and Persuasion. Famous beaches include Chesil Beach, Lulworth Cove and Durdle Door,

Wonderful meals and personal service await at the Good Hotel Guide hotels in Dorset. Choose from seaside locations, thatched countryside retreats and smart townhouse-style hotels – or indeed combine a stay to experience a true sense of Dorsetlife. And don’t forget our hotels in the New Forest. Other places to see in this interesting county include Dorchester – Hardy’s Casterbridge (his cottage is at Higher Bockhampton). Near Cerne Abbas is the priapic giant carved into a hillside. Historic buildings include Christchurch Priory, Sherborne abbey church and Wimborne Minster. Tolpuddle remembers its martyrs with a memorial, Maiden Castle is a vast prehistoric earthwork with stunning views. Visit the ancient Swannery at Abbotsbury, and the Prince of Wales’s purpose-built town of Poundbury.

For holiday ideas in Dorset, please see VisitEngland