‘One of the loveliest hotel experiences I’ve had in a long time,’ writes a Guide inspector in 2019, of a stay at this ‘romantic’ Georgian town house, ‘on a pretty square’ a stroll from the cathedral. Run as a hotel by Deborah Clark and Tony Orchard, it is promoted to a full entry. Arriving late for a dinner reservation, our reporter was met by ‘the warmest, most helpful of individuals… they couldn’t have been nicer’. Even ‘intimate’ bedrooms are not poky, while luxury ones have a super-king-size bed, big bathroom overlooking the garden, with bath and walk-in shower. All have a minibar, REN toiletries and comfy seating. ‘Our room was exquisite, superbly designed, from the bag of local fudge to the info folder. There were no rough edges.’ In the ‘peaceful dining room’, dinner was ‘beautifully served’ by ‘charming’ waiting staff. Short, intelligent menus include such dishes as pan-fried bream, braised fennel, herb potato gratin, roasted garlic. Breakfast, ‘again beautifully presented’, brings ‘an individual bottle of orange juice, mini-pastry, mini-granola and yogurt’ before a choice of hot dishes (‘smoked salmon and scrambled eggs, obviously’). ‘Honestly, I couldn’t fault it.’