Olga Polizzi’s countryside retreat, at its origin a Regency fishing lodge created for the Duchess of Bedford, is today an ‘unpretentious, wholly enjoyable’ hotel ‘decorated with charm and taste’. ‘A few days here feeds the historical imagination,’ say guests in 2017. ‘Reading in the beautifully candlelit library in the evening, it’s easy to imagine yourself as a guest of the duke and duchess in the early 19th century, down in Devon for a few days’ hunting and fishing.’ The cottage orné stands in a ‘magical landscape’ of Humphry Repton-designed flower-filled arbours and manicured gardens (‘glorious even in the depths of January’); there are ancient trees, bridges over streams, and picnic spots to discover. Inside, every bedroom has its own personality: admire hand-painted wallpaper here, soak in a freestanding bath there. Two suites, handy for a family, are in converted stables. At lunch and dinner, chef Jose Graziosi’s modern dishes look to Italy for inspiration. A typical dish: sea bream, Parmesan gnocchi, cavolo nero, crab bisque. ‘Memorable in every way.’ (Andrew and Hannah Butterworth, and others)