Named after former resident and essayist William Hazlitt, this ‘stunningly individual’ hotel, owned by Peter McKay and Douglas Blain, is a sensuous escape from Soho directly outside.

‘A real star, we enjoyed our stay,’ enthuse Guide regulars, who visited several hotels on either side of this year’s Scottish cruise. ‘It was by far our favourite.’

‘They make you feel welcome and at home’ at Sally and David Ruthven-Fox’s dog-friendly hotel ‘by the shores of Loch Sunart and surrounded by hills’.

There may now be USB charge sockets in all bedrooms, but this hotel retains such an air of a bygone age that you half expect Dr Johnson to swing by from his house a stroll away.

‘It is difficult to find any fault,’ write trusted readers this year, after staying at the Watkins family’s ‘proper individual, independent, truly welcoming hotel’.

‘In a stunning location’ overlooking Lahinch Bay, Antoin O’Looney’s small hotel is upgraded from the Shortlist this year, on the urging of a reader who delighted in all that she found.

Built in 2003 on the old ramparts of the medieval castle, Tim and Stefa Hart’s city hotel is a sister to their country house, Hambleton Hall (see entry).

‘Hands-on owners, attention to detail and a warm and friendly ambience.’ All-round plaudits this year for John and Sue Cushing’s Georgian manor house hotel.

‘An oasis of calm in the northern suburbs of Newcastle’, Peter Candler’s mansion is named after the wooded valley in which it stands.

‘A great stay, great staff, accommodation, food, and all in a lovely river setting.’ A resounding endorsement from a reader this year for Robert Wilson and Tim Lloyd’s hotel on the banks of the Stour.

For over 30 years, the Harrison family has greeted visitors to their former 18th-century fishing lodge with ‘genuine warmth and interest’.

‘An example of what a British seaside hotel can do.’ Trusted readers were impressed by Lindsey and Andrew Evans’s coastal property, created with an ‘ambition, vision and style one might associate with California or Australia’.

Formed from an 18th-century farmstead, Dee and Richard Slade’s hybrid of pub and hotel in the empty reaches of Northumberland is liked for its unique blend of sustainable hospitality, ‘beautiful grounds’ and ‘amazing dark sky observatory’.

Just a hop from Glasgow’s cultural attractions, with views across the glass roof of Central Station, Barrie Munn’s budget hotel occupies the penthouse floor of a 1905 office building.

Guide regulars were drawn to this former 16th-century coaching inn ‘partly for its excellent location; partly because of the Thomas Hardy connection’.

In the buzzing heart of the city, opposite the Philharmonic Hall, a Venetian palazzo facade conceals this contemporary hotel, ‘ideally placed’ for discovering the city’s wonderful history and architecture.

On the edge of the New Forest, this comfortable Victorian villa in large grounds is a reviving spot.

No cause for truancy at this revamped former Victorian school and headmaster’s house, in a pretty Dales village on the River Ure.

Across the causeway from St Michael’s Mount, which, ‘caught in the evening sunset really is a magical prospect’, James and Mary St Levan’s ‘fabulous (and fabulously dog-friendly)’ inn wins praise for its ‘excellent accommodation’ and ‘attentive, professional staff’.

Blow all cares away with a welcoming glass of champagne on arrival at Andrea and Simon Copper’s sleekly designed, child-free retreat.

In an ‘outstanding location’ in the Ribble valley, Northcote is known principally for its restaurant, but it is also a luxury hotel (Relais & Châteaux).

In an ‘idyllic’ Cotswolds hillside village, this Palladian merchant’s mansion with Arts and Crafts add-ons is part of the Calcot Collection (see Calcot).

Families have ‘a grand time’ at this 16th-century manor house with spa, in ‘lovely manicured grounds’.

Behind a 16th-century stone facade festooned with wisteria in springtime, this manor house hotel (Relais & Châteaux) in its own wooded valley abounds in modern five-star comfort.