‘An ideal place to slow down and relax.’

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

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

Down an avenue of lime trees stands this characterful hotel, its apricot-washed facade a welcome sight to its legions of loyal fans.

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

In a ‘marvellous Derbyshire Dales setting’, supporters of James Moffett’s rustic, laid-back hotel find much to like: ‘a warm welcome’, ‘decent home-cooked dinners’, ‘quiet, comfortable rooms’.

Fine dining is the order of the day at Max and Susan Fischer’s Jacobean-style Edwardian mansion in the Peak District, approached by a chestnut-shaded drive.

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

A green philosophy underpins this ‘excellent-value’ B&B, in a Derbyshire longhouse within the Peak District national park.

On the green of an ‘idyllic’ Cotswold village, this centuries-old inn is ‘an attractive place to stay’, with a ‘relaxed, easy’ ambience, say Guide inspectors in 2017.

In ‘a pleasant location’ close to the cathedral, David Watkins’s family-run hotel has long pleased visitors who praise its ‘quality and comfort’, and its ‘cheerful, intelligent, helpful’ staff. ‘

In ‘an attractive, central setting’, with ‘a commanding vista’ over the city, Tim Hart’s hotel is ‘a clear choice for business travellers and parents visiting offspring at university,’ say Guide inspectors this year.

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.

All is peaceful at John and Sue Cushing’s 18th-century manor house hotel, approached down a country lane embraced by green fields.

‘A warm welcome and excellent food’ add up to a ‘thoroughly enjoyable’ stay at Nicola and Steve Reynolds’s pub-with rooms, say Guide readers this year.

‘Lively hosts’ Christine and David Lawson ‘delight in sharing their space’, a ‘peaceful’ Regency villa near the town centre.

Behind a facade of half-timbering and honeyed stone, this ‘friendly, professionally run’ hotel by the village green ‘successfully combines an imaginative, glossy-magazine look with olde-worlde Cotswold charm’.

A ‘micro-country house’ in a peaceful Lincolnshire village, Paul and Lorraine Willoughby’s 17th-century inn ‘oozes character’.

On a pedestrianised street across from the Victorian Pavilion Gardens, this ‘elegantly decorated’ B&B stands in ‘an attractive, convenient location’ in the old spa town.

Julia and Nick Davies are bringing a breath of fresh air – and a few ‘tastefully flamboyant touches’ – to their 18th-century dower house high on the east side of the Malvern hills.

Take in ‘superb views’ over the valley from Chris and Zoe Hipwell’s ‘very special’ Georgian town house hotel.

‘I was greeted at the door when I arrived; the attention to detail continued throughout my stay.’

Once the village library, this ‘beautifully decorated’ Grade II listed Georgian building near the River Severn is today a cheerful B&B run by Sarah and Tim Davis.

Busy hens and the occasional tractor are as much traffic as there is to be found at this ‘lovely’, rustic B&B, on a 150-acre working farm in the Derbyshire Dales.