Do you remember an inn, Miranda? Hilaire Belloc certainly remembered this Georgian coaching inn, from which he described setting out in The Four Men.

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.

Indulge in a Pornstar Martini in the sea-facing cocktail bar at this stuccoed, bow-fronted Georgian seafront hotel, for this is Brighton, after all – hip, tolerant and fun.

East Coast America meets South Coast England at this single-storey, coastal-chic hotel with interesting room choices, good, locally sourced food, and uncrowded sandy beach just over the spectacular dunes.

A beacon of hospitality on a remote cliff-top between the English Channel and the rolling downs, this decommissioned 19th-century lighthouse found new purpose in 2010 as a unique B&B. It offers superb 360-degree views from the lantern room, taking in the Seven Sisters chalk cliffs and the South Downs. test

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.

At the heart of the South Downs National Park, this village pub with rooms is the rural sister of the seaside Crab & Lobster, Sidlesham (see entry). It is country but no bumpkin.

Overlooking the reed beds and salt marsh of Pagham Harbour Nature Reserve, in an 'atmospheric location with great birdwatching from the doorstep', this excellent restaurant with rooms serves 'great food with especially imaginative vegetarian dishes'.

Just a couple of minutes' drive from Petworth, with views over farmland to the South Downs, this gastropub has smart contemporary bedrooms and some exciting menu choices.

With the Goodwood Estate down the road and the South Downs on the doorstep, this rural, dog-friendly former coaching inn is popular with Barbour-wearing country-sports enthusiasts and hikers.

History meets the modern world at this Elizabethan manor house, a luxury e hotel in eight acre-grounds, with gracious drawing room, state-of-the-art spa and fine-dining restaurant.

Between the South Downs and the Sussex coast, the Newbon family's revived village pub enfolds locals and visitors alike in its warmly welcoming atmosphere.

Like all Butcombe gastropubs with rooms, this whitewashed Georgian village local retains its personality while offering smart bedrooms and creative cooking along with pub classics.

Swathed with creepers and bedecked with flowers, this wildly atmospheric B&B stands on a cobbled street in a medieval citadel with views over Romney Marsh.

'It felt like we were in France, looking out from the restaurant balcony at rows of vines.' Our inspectors were transported by their stay on this estate, now a family-run concern with a vineyard planted in 2017

Lionel Copley applied his designer's eye and gentle wit to the styling of bedrooms at this chic Georgian rectory B&B, with elegant public spaces, treatment rooms, walled garden, and a breakfast to write home about.

In gardens bordered by a stream, the Wild family's hotel, converted from three 17th-century cottages, a stroll from its own quayside, has well-equipped, country-classic bedrooms, formal and informal dining in restaurant and brasserie.

'The perfect restaurant-with-rooms for lovers of British bubbles', this recent addition to Robin Hutson's Pig litter is surrounded by some of Britain's best wine-making country and offers 'plenty of fizz with your food'.

Bohemian Brighton is artfully encapsulated in this Regency townhouse with its cool vibe, quirky furnishings and neighbourhood café-bar.

It is more than thirty years since Sarah Burgoyne first welcomed guests to her Georgian manor house, 'in enchanting gardens and grounds', where 'deer roam at dawn and birdsong is guaranteed'.

Matt and Amy Marshall welcome new arrival with a drink and are happy to share their local knowledge and love of Sussex at this 18th-century bakery-turned-B&B with updated, bright and airy interiors.

One of Britain's prettiest disused stations is today an excellent B&B, with bedrooms in the station building and restored Pullman coaches, cream teas served in the waiting room or on the platform, while breakfast is truly first class.

Across the road from Hove's shingle beach, Ben and Pamela McKellar's Edwardian mock-timbered gastropub is 'loved by locals for its foodie reputation'.

An outdoor heated pool, extensive grounds, Downs views, individually styled bedrooms and refined dining are among the attractions at this dog-friendly hotel on the banks of the River Cuckmere.

A colonial-style Victorian villa with galleried veranda has been refurbished in fine style, with 16 classy bedrooms and an airy restaurant serving locally sourced, seasonal, modern British fare.

Works by local artists adorn this owner-run Victorian townhouse B&B a short stroll from the pier, with individually styled bedrooms and many pleasing touches.

In restored Grade I listed woodland and lake gardens, an Italianate mansion is now home to a Michelin-starred restaurant with serenely beautiful bedrooms.

You half expect to find a chamber pot under the bed, and Dante Gabriel Rosetti taking tea by the drawing-room fire at this 19th-century villa, a homage to the Victorian Aesthetic movement, perfect in every detail.

In the Old Town, this handsome Georgian guest house has a modern, seaside feel, period features, lots of thoughtful extras, and kind hosts who bake bread and whip up smoothies for breakfast served in the conservatory.

'It would be beautiful in summer,' said our inspectors, whose tour of this vineyard, on the slopes of the South Downs, was marred by rain.