Summer Lodge

Staying in this Georgian mansion in ‘flower-filled and perfectly tended gardens’ is ‘a pretty faultless experience’, with ‘every detail properly attended to but the atmosphere still friendly and relaxed’, say readers. Tea in a drawing room designed by Thomas Hardy arrived with complimentary ‘home-made cookies, the best we’d ever eaten’. Rooms range from a cosy double with fine fabrics and a print of L S Lowry’s ‘A Cricket Match’, to a beautifully presented cottage with an original Matisse. All have fresh fruit and flowers, shortbread and luxury toiletries. One reader’s spacious first-floor room had ‘a super-king bed, an armchair, a chaise longue, great garden views, some interesting art’. At dinner, Steven Titman’s locally sourced menus include dishes such as lamb loin with Jerusalem artichoke and kale; for vegans, maple-roasted pumpkin risotto with curry spice and coconut. ‘Dinner was impeccable, with the bonus of a separate menu for vegetarians.’ For simpler fare pop out to sister property The Acorn Inn (previous entry). ‘Not a cheap stay, but worth every penny.’ ‘A genuine luxury hotel.’ (Ian Bronks, B and ID, JC, and others)