‘Well liked by traditionalists and locals’, Emma and Hugh Asher’s creeper-smothered hotel in a market town close to the coast was buzzing on a Saturday night when Guide readers arrived. ‘The door was opened for us, with offers to carry our bags.’ The bedroom had matching curtains and bedcover, a large wardrobe, ‘all in good decorative order’. The bathroom had a ‘powerful walk-in shower, almost a water cannon’ and a freestanding bath. Some rooms have a four-poster, some overlook lovely gardens. In the bar, nuts, olives and warm canapés were brought, as ‘piano music drifted from the dining room’. Photos in the lounge recall that Agatha Christie stayed here often when this was a private house. It is no mystery, however, why ‘the dining room was packed’. Chef Steven Norgate, whose food attracts ‘a loyal following’, wins praise for such dishes as buttered tiger prawns, browned almonds, pea shoot salad; halibut, wilted spinach, pea and prawn risotto. ‘There are terrific vegetarian options – and it would be a crime not to go for a pudding.’ At breakfast, juices are freshly squeezed, and the buffet and cooked dishes are ‘top notch’. (MC, N and CH)