Having hosted everyone from Winston Churchill to Meghan Markle the night before the royal wedding, this Italianate mansion seduces visitors with the prospect of ‘luxurious country house living’. The 17th-century stately home, horseshoeing around the Fountain of Love, is renowned for its ‘exceptional hospitality’, ‘stunning bedrooms’ and intriguing aristocratic and political past. Expansive Thames views, ‘beautiful grounds’ and ‘exquisite cuisine’ are the finishing touches. ‘We had a sublime time,’ reports a regular reader, celebrating a special occasion this year. ‘Lovely’, eclectically styled bedrooms ‘lack for nothing’, with a ‘fetchingly old-fashioned bathroom’; even some smaller rooms have a private terrace with a hot tub. A seasonal menu (including a solid vegetarian option) overseen by Head Chef Paul O’Neill is served in The Cliveden Dining Room, the original drawing room overlooking the 19th-century parterre. In warmer weather, champagne cruises and picnics on the Thames can be arranged. Chewton Glen, New Milton (see entry), is under the same ownership. (Matthew Caminer, and others)