With a 'lovely, peaceful' garden bordered by the River Rothay, this small country-house hotel has 'friendly staff, excellent food, a great location on the edge of the village', write readers this year. A Victorian villa, it has ‘period charm but is very modern in its facilities and workings’, with a large, airy conservatory bar and lounge with grey and green sofas and chairs and floor-to-ceiling windows. Lakeland art adorns its walls, along with that of the attractive restaurant, which is now also open to non residents. Owners Simon and Kate Hustler are ‘much in evidence and especially helpful’. 'Beautifully decorated bedrooms' might feature vintage-style trunks as bedside tables with 'wonderful views at the rear over the garden to the river'. Limestone-effect ensuites have a walk-in or over-bath shower, lovely local toiletries. At dinner, 'the food is particularly good, especially the seafood-related dishes'. The seasonally changing menu of modern European food might include monkfish, katsu curry sauce and coconut rice cake or goats cheese and caramelised red onion tart. Almost everything is made from scratch. Breakfast choices include smoked haddock Florentine, vanilla French toast, a full Cumbrian. (Nicola Billington, P and SG)