Hambleton Hall

Arrive, as did Guide readers this year, ‘in perfect time for sitting on the terrace and being wonderfully spoilt’. ‘Almost impossible to fault’, Tim and Stefa Hart’s ‘classy’ country house hotel overlooking Rutland Water is a long-time favourite: the staff are ‘warm and genuine’, the food is ‘a joy’. ‘It is the standard by which we’ve come to judge the other establishments we stay at and eat in.’ The 19th-century hunting lodge is ‘a haven of luxury’: step into ‘elegant’ public rooms with ‘inviting sofas, generous flower arrangements, an array of magazines’; in good weather, explore the ‘beautiful’ gardens. ‘Impeccable’ bedrooms, some ‘old fashioned’, are a picture of cultivated country charm (sprinklings of toile de Jouy, spreads of chintz); some have a ‘truly spectacular’ view over the garden. ‘The turn-down service is meticulous.’ Michelin-starred chef Aaron Patterson continues to win acclaim for his ‘wonderful’ modern dishes. Hart’s Hotel, Nottingham (see entry) is under the same ownership. (Caroline Faircliff, Susan Willmington, Roderic Rennison, Francine and Ian Walsh). This hotel is a member of Pride of Britain hotels.