‘Exquisitely refurbished.’ Peter McKay and Douglas Blain have cultivated ‘an oasis of civilisation’ within a decadent cluster of Soho’s Georgian houses.

Amid its own grounds of lawn and woodland, on the shores of Loch Sunart, Sally and David Ruthven-Fox run a welcoming small hotel.

Along a narrow lane, a lamb-chop toss from Smithfield market, Clerkenwell’s hubbub surrenders to the ‘club-like’ calm of Peter McKay and Douglas Blain’s tumble of 18th-century houses.

Hereford Castle is long gone, but ducks bob happily on the old moat beside the terraced garden of the Watkins family’s hotel.

Returning guests in 2018 ‘enjoyed a relaxing time in warmth and comfort’ at Tim Hart’s purpose-built hotel, on the former ramparts of Nottingham’s medieval castle.

For ‘a quiet weekend in a friendly, characterful hotel among bucolic surroundings’, John and Sue Cushing’s red brick Georgian manor ‘fits the bill perfectly’.

Above the dene (ravine with a stream), surrounded by ‘attractive woodland’, sits Peter Candler’s ‘impressive’ 19th-century hotel.

On the shores of Loch Ewe stands a ‘deceptively large’ 18th-century fishing lodge run as a ‘pleasingly eclectic guest house’ by the ‘very welcoming’ Harrison family.

Dee and Richard Slade’s hybrid of pub and hotel in the empty reaches of Northumberland again reached for the stars with its unique blend of sustainable hospitality and astronomy.

If you’re looking for a modestly priced hotel at the heart of the city, this is just the ticket – a modern B&B on the penthouse floor of a handsome, buff stone, 1900s office building, right by Central Station.

There are diversions aplenty at this much-refurbished 17th-century former fishing lodge on a tranquil estate overlooking Kenmare bay and the Sheen waterfalls.

‘Great Atlantic views’ and beach walks await at Antoin O’Looney’s ‘wonderfully hospitable’ small hotel.

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

A metamorphosis is underway on the edge of the New Forest: formerly TerraVina, this comfortable Victorian villa has a new name and a revamped style.

International joie de vivre is found in well-travelled Charlotte and David Reilly’s revamped former Victorian school and headmaster’s house.

‘Superbly located in a beautiful setting.' Guide readers in 2018 were thrilled by this ‘fabulous (and fabulously dog friendly)’ seaside spot.

Blow all cares away with a welcoming glass of champagne on arrival at Andrea and Simon Copper’s sleekly designed, child-free retreat. Perched high above a 14th-century fishing village, there are uninterrupted sea views stretching across the bay to historic Chapel Point and beyond

‘Such a peaceful, quiet place to stay. The log fire was lit ready for our arrival.’ A new endorsement this year for ‘perfect hosts’ David and Louise Farrance’s wisteria-festooned B&B.

Craig Bancroft’s Victorian country house hotel in the Ribble valley has held a Michelin star since 1996, under former chef/director Nigel Haworth, and now Lisa Allen.

A royal warrant and a Michelin star are but two accolades held by London’s last grand Edwardian hotel, still run by the family that built it.

‘In a pretty south Cotswolds village’, this is a ‘fun, relaxing place’. A Palladian mansion with Arts and Crafts refinements and an Italianate logia, it was recently made over for the Calcot Collection.

‘A lovely, family-friendly hotel,’ was Guide inspectors’ verdict on this 16th-century stone manor house with spa in beautiful grounds, ‘looking out over rolling hills’.

‘The best on the island’, ‘the most spectacular and sumptuous’, this luxurious, family-friendly manor house hotel (Relais & Châteaux) 'just gets better',

Close to the designer names of Fulham Road and museums of South Kensington, this ‘conveniently situated’ accommodation is a ‘home-away-from-home’ with ‘helpful, courteous staff’.