‘It’s hard to fathom just how many things the Endsleigh does right,’ says one reader, of this Grade I listed hotel set in 200 acres of fairy-tale gardens in the Tamar valley. The house was built 200 years ago for the Duchess of Bedford, who fell in love with the ‘unreal natural beauty’ of the valley. Readers feel the same, praising the ‘simply spectacular’ parkland created by Humphry Repton. Two drawing rooms and a library for afternoon tea are stylish and comfortable. Bedrooms are testament to owner Olga Polizzi’s fine eye for detail, mixing period features with modern comfort. Many have garden views; one has a chaise longue, another a bathroom fashioned from the original owner’s private chapel. Toiletries are by Mitchell and Peach. A ‘heavenly’ dinner is cooked by chef Tom Ewings using seasonal ingredients sourced from local producers, and served in the wood-panelled dining room. Service is ‘very personal’, an extension of the ‘harmonious relationship of the hotel, the grounds and all its animal life’. The ‘awful’ mobile phone reception is no bad thing, serving to preserve the hotel’s unruffled atmosphere.