On show through walls of windows, the sea is a huge presence at this family-run hotel on the cliffs above a surfers' beach, which offers craft sessions as well as a spa and kids club.

There is a buzzy ambience to this refurbished, child friendly, dog friendly 17th-century village pub, named after local tumuli, with restaurant, smart bedrooms and alfresco dining.

Under the big skies of Caithness, wrapped in woodland and a curve of the River Forss, this Georgian mansion offers the grandeur of Scottish country-house living but with modern-day warmth and comforts.

An iconic landmark on the harbour front, this bright-blue-painted former harbourmaster's house is home to a hotel with a great choice of individually styled bedrooms and an unpretentious restaurant, big on fish.

With the Chatsworth estate on the doorstep, Lord and Lady Burlington's Peak District hotel has had a ravishing makeover to complement the superb food in its restaurants.

There's certainly nothing monastic about this much-loved 'olde-world hotel with charm in abundance', in a 'wonderful building with a cleverly added glass dining room' looking out over gardens bordered by the River Frome.

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.

Although the Cave-Browne-Cave family has sold its big, white hotel above Cardigan Bay, which it has operated since the days of silent film, new owners BLS UK Hotels Ltd are expected to keep things very much as they always have been, maintaining the existing management.

A former 17th-century inn, which is part of the Duke of Devonshire's 30,000-acre estate at Bolton Abbey, is today an impressive country-house hotel, with fine dining and a spa.

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

Just over a mile from York, this imposing William and Mary country house in 20 acres of beautiful gardens and parkland offers 'first-class food and service'.

A grand country house with both Jacobean and Georgain sides, Hartwell gazes over an 18th-century landscape, with Ionic temple, obelisk, and a lake spanned by an arch from the old Kew Bridge.

The real charm of this grand country house, with sweeping gardens, terraces, oak panelling and swish spa along with a convenient location in a hamlet a few miles from the A1 lies in its warm and informal atmosphere.

Eco values as well as enjoyment are fundamental to this cliff-top hotel, with sea thrift-covered roof, sweeping curves, reed-filtered pool and walls of windows to soak up the light and the seascape.

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

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.

Built in the former hunting seat of Mary Queen of Scots, Melville is an 18th-century country house with towers and crenellations. Inside, some of the bedrooms are indeed fit for a queen.

With a Michelin-starred restaurant, Grade II listed garden, 17th-century pele tower and French drawing room, Askham Hall sounds as if it might be very formal; not a bit of it. 'The most homely stately hotel we have ever stayed in,' reports one reader.

Renowned for its beautiful gardens, 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 restaurant and the spa, bedrooms are named after plants, and cabins with freestanding tubs on the terrace overlook the orchard.

With an enviable position on Windermere, this Georgian hall has a relaxed country house feel, with formal and casual dining options, and bedrooms ranging from family friendly to seriously swanky.

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).

The South African Leeu Collection's Edwardian country house in wooded, landscaped grounds above Windermere is a haven of civilised living, with casual and fine dining options, woodland hot-tub suites, and views to take the breath away.

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.

Boutique chic has replaced backpackers' basics at this former youth hostel, which is now a popular city hotel, with a handy car park and particularly good rates for single travellers.

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.

'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'.

Family run, dog friendly and welcoming, this village pub at the foot of Howgill fells, between Lakes and Dales, is widely praised for its comfortable, individually styled bedrooms, pub classics and more creative dishes.

A jar of cookies in the bedroom is just one of the quirks at this fun, intimate boutique hotel, with bedrooms that mix vintage and modern, contemporary British cooking, great service – and Alnwick Castle a stroll away.

Traditional as Burns Night and bannocks, the McMenemie family's Victorian country-house hotel in gardens leading to the shores of Loch Faskally is popular with its largely elderly clientele, who love the comfort of this 'unique establishment' with its caring staff.

The superb setting of the Nye family's hotel overlooking salt marshes to the sea and Scolt Head Island is matched by 'exceptional food and service', say readers who go back year after year.