A lovely, wisteria-swagged, 17th-century Bath stone inn, this is a gastropub with a wide choice of characterful rooms, a serious attitude to food, regular comedy nights and an irrepressible sense of fun.

Rescued from closure by two local couples, this gastropub at the heart of a picturesque village has stylish bedrooms and cooking of a very high order.

On the Great Durnford Manor estate, where the great bustard has been reintroduced to Britain, this 19th-century boozer has been reinvented as a dining pub with locals bar, comfortable, contemporary rooms and a modern restaurant making exciting use of estate produce.

Everything is laid on for a fun, relaxing family escape at this dog-friendly Jacobean manor house, with a crèche, cinema, spa, pools indoors and out, playground, games room, comfy lounges, country-house bedrooms in the main house and cottages, and formal and informal dining.

There is a simple elegance about this Georgian rectory, with uncluttered bedrooms, modern foodie menus served in dining room and glasshouse, an outdoor swimming pool in landscaped gardens, and pub grub for those who want it at sister venture the Potting Shed across the road.

Bags of character and a warm vibe are on offer at this pub with rooms on an organic farm in a pretty village on the Marlborough Downs.

Centred on a Georgian farmhouse in Arts and Crafts ornamental gardens, with a spa, gym, cinema and contemporary bedrooms, this honeyed-stone luxury country-house hotel holds a Michelin star for Ricki Weston's inspired tasting menus in The Dining Room, while guests can dine more informally on small plates in Grey's, or from an all-day lounge menu.

With Sunday roasts, local ales, beams, brasses and eclectic artworks, this is a traditional village boozer with a contemporary twist, smart but simple bedrooms, and a menu featuring greatest pub hits (burgers, bangers) as well as more modern dishes.

With 'a great setting in large grounds' and the 'huge plus' of an outdoor heated pool, this ornate Italianate Victorian house in woodland and gardens impressed our inspectors, who found it a 'very relaxed place'.

Approached down a mile-long avenue of lime and beech trees, this grand Palladian mansion in 500 acres of parkland and gardens is a family friendly country-house hotel with spa, pools, an equestrian centre, luxury bedrooms, Michelin-starred menus in Restaurant Hywel Jones, and less formal dining in the Walled Garden Restaurant.