You can imagine nodding off in an armchair over the latest issue of Samuel Johnson’s Idler, or William Hazlitt’s polemics in the Tatler, when you step into this time-warp hotel and close the door on trendy Soho.

Wildlife spotters are in their element at this 18th-century lodge in ‘a beautiful setting’ on the shores of Loch Sunart.

Hip eateries and bars have supplanted hovels and bawdy houses in this once-notorious area, but behind the 18th-century facade of three shop-houses Georgian London lives on.

A sleek, modern hotel on the ramparts of what remains of medieval Nottingham Castle, Hart’s is where your home is when you want to escape the bustling city.

‘In the middle of nowhere down narrow country lanes’, John and Sue Cushing’s Georgian manor house hotel sit among five-acres of brimming gardens, a prolific source of fruit and vegetables, cut flowers and perennial joy.

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.

Berthed on the banks of the Stour since 2006, this child-friendly, dog-friendly, glass-and-steel hotel, with the sleek lines of a cruise liner, was built for leisure.

Thomas Hardy fans will be in their element at this local watering hole in Dorset, which was the model for 'The Sow and Acorn’ in Tess of the d’Urbervilles.

Highly idiosyncratic and seriously fun, Hannah Springham and Andrew Jones’s hotel features bedrooms themed on the Georgian Grand Tour and Victorian global gallivanting.

‘In a beautiful setting at the tip of Lake Windermere, overlooking the River Leven,’ this family-friendly hotel unveiled an extension in 2022.

Cranes, container ships, Holland-bound ferries … The views from this quayside Victorian hotel, with its striking iron-lace balcony overlooking the Stour and Orwell estuaries, are ocean-going, stirring, never dull.

The epitome of Edwardian grand-hotel luxury, with its liveried doormen, dazzling interiors, glamorous bedrooms and Michelin-starred dining, the Goring is, for all its cachet, welcoming and unaffected, with an acres of garden at the rear.

Amid gardens, native woodland and meadow, this 16th-century manor house is today a family-friendly hotel and spa with contemporary comforts and a choice of formal and informal dining.

'Absolutely faultless from the moment we arrived', Malcolm and Patricia Lewis's manor-house hotel (Relais & Châteaux) sits in landscaped gardens with a lake and specimen trees.

With a waterside terrace, coolly stylish interiors, well-equipped bedrooms and a chef who honed his craft in Raymond Blanc’s kitchen, this Edwardian hotel in a fishing village on the Fal estuary is the place to idle away blissful days.

In a wooded estate on Loch Torridon, this baronial-style hunting lodge appeals to sybarites and sporty types, with luxurious bedrooms, tasting menus sourced from the kitchen garden and farm, and a brasserie.

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.

Occupying two Georgian villas in gardens bordered by the old castle moat, this friendly hotel has a wide choice of well-equipped, individually styled rooms, and inviting food in the light-filled conservatory.

In a historic rural park, just ten minutes’ drive from the city centre, this Arts and Crafts mansion impresses with its grand interiors, bold design features and first-rate modern British cooking.

In a hillside glade, this once-derelict country house has been beautifully made over, with attention to guests’ comfort, real fires, good textiles, fine dining restaurant and simpler artisan fare.

It feels a bit like finding platform 9¾ but trust us: buzz an intercom to enter a grand, buff-stone railway office block by Glasgow Central, ride the lift to the penthouse and step into a cool city hotel.

Centred on a 17th-century granite house in flower-filled gardens, this well-run hotel offers a good choice of immaculate, individually styled bedrooms, casual and formal dining in bar and restaurant.

Behind the unmissable Tudor façade of this former coaching inn, you will find bedrooms blending modern comforts with original features, delightful staff, imaginative sharing plates and brasserie dishes in the restaurant and bar.

In 19 acres of sub-tropical gardens, this family-owned 65-room spa hotel is a happy marriage of the traditional and informal, with well-equipped rooms, fine dining in the smart Trevilder, and a gastropub menu in the 16th-century village inn.

In the buzzy Georgian quarter, a Victorian carriage works has been reimagined as a hotel, with industrial-chic style, spa, minimalist bedrooms and modern British menus.

High above the town, a modern hotel with ‘exceptional’ seascapes that are as restorative, perhaps, as the calm that washes over guests in the award-winning spa.

Just 15 minutes from the city centre, this boutique town house hotel offers a wide choice of individually styled rooms, relaxing lounges, a terrace and bar for relaxed deli dining.

The Doric porch and white stucco exterior of a handsome Victorian terrace town house on a leafy garden square gives no clue to the ultra-high-tech facilities and modern décor at this Pimlico hotel.

Guests are treated like royalty at this luxury hotel overlooking Buckingham Palace's grounds, with sophisticated chocolate-and-cream bedroom décor, marble bathrooms and opulent Grill Room.

A riverside conversion of a Victorian grammar school and headmaster’s house gains an A* for splendid, characterful, boutique-style bedrooms, some with terrace and hot tub, and short, set-price, foodie-pleasing menus.

There are splendid views across the causeway to St Michael’s Mount from some of the simple, chic bedrooms, styled in coastal colours, and the glass-walled restaurant at this beachfront hotel.