‘I find it difficult to make any original comments,’ writes a Guide regular after this year’s visit to Tim and Stefa Hart’s much-loved hotel (Relais & Châteaux) with grounds reaching down to Rutland Water. ‘All the superlatives have been used by other guests. We have never before stayed in such a comfortable hotel with such helpful staff and imaginative food.’ Another trusted reader adds, ‘The standard of service is beyond anything we could ever imagine. The team all go the extra mile.’ Built as a fox-hunting lodge for a wealthy brewer in 1881, and later as a society hotspot, it has elegant, individually designed bedrooms with sumptuous fabrics and richly patterned wallpaper. Most overlook the lake; all have garden views, fresh flowers, and biscuits from the hotel’s famous bakery. In the restaurant (after 37 years, this holds the UK’s longest-retained Michelin star), chef Aaron Patterson’s sophisticated, locally sourced, seasonal menus include Launde Farm lamb, Mediterranean vegetables, ewe’s curd. ‘Long may Hambleton last,’ one guest writes. ‘We suspect it will.’ Hart’s Hotel, Nottingham (see entry) is a sister hotel. (David Bartley, Caroline Faircliff, 
and others)