The Old Rectory Hotel

‘Huw Rees and Sam Prosser, two perfectionists, have created a great place where every guest feels very welcome,’ say visitors this year, of this ‘beautiful’ hotel close to the Exmoor coast. More accolades: ‘It’s a well-planned operation, with everything fine tuned to offer the best service. Sam, as front-of-house, is attentive; the staff are all friendly.’ Fans like the ‘intimate country house atmosphere’ – many return annually to find old friends. Check in to ‘warm, delightful’ bedrooms; beds are ‘very comfortable’; extras include cafetière coffee and a digital radio. ‘We had our best sleep for years.’ At dinner, Huw Rees’s ‘homely, well-cooked’, ‘reasonably priced’ dishes use locally sourced meats, fish and seafood, perhaps Ilfracombe crab, lime and avocado cocktail; fillet of Red Ruby Devon beef, chateaubriand sauce. In the morning, tuck in to an ‘excellent’ breakfast (local apple juice, home-made marmalade, fruit smoothies) before heading out to explore: National Trust land surrounds. Plan well: ‘Hugh’s cakes, at the complimentary afternoon tea, are worth returning early for!’ (Shirley and Brian Johns, Mary Coles, Roger Down)