‘My four-year-old loves Chewton as much as I do, it’s always a struggle to leave.’ ‘We stayed to celebrate our 50th wedding anniversary, and it exceeded expectations.’ After more than half a century, this country house hotel ‘in beautiful grounds’ close to a ‘stunning, often deserted beach’ continues to appeal to guests of all ages, growing and innovating but never losing sight of traditional values. This year brings a new Kids Club Treehouse, while afternoon tea is still served on the terrace. Children’s menus, a kids’ cookery course, bug hotel, and outdoor pool entertain little ones. Adult indulgences include hot tub suites, a tree-house hideaway suite, tennis courts, golf course. ‘The spa was fantastic, the jet pool the best I’ve encountered.’ Garden rooms have a balcony or terrace with views over parkland. Coach house suites, sleeping six, have a semi-private walled garden, a marble bathroom. Luke Matthews’s menus, too, have broad appeal, with veggie dishes, classics such as sole meunière, more modern and exotic fare: ‘I highly recommend the Thai crab risotto.’ Staff are ‘charming, dedicated, exceptional’. ‘Expensive but good value.’ 
(M Moore, Dianna Tennant, and many others)