The Priory

Idyllically situated by a Saxon church with gardens bordered by the River Frome, this 16th-century priory has cast off its monk’s habit to become a characterful hotel. Each beautifully styled bedroom has its own charm, some with beams, sloping ceilings, and antiques, perhaps up steep staircases tucked in the eaves with river views, others looking on to the garden or courtyard. All have binoculars, fresh fruit and milk. The most opulent are in the waterside Boat House, where Mallard mini-suite has a four-poster, a balcony, a spa bath and walk-in shower, and Swan has a lounge with French doors to a riverside veranda. ‘Even in February, walking the short distance to the restaurant was not a chore,’ writes a trusted reader. Dinner is no longer served in the ‘rather gloomy’ Abbot’s Cellar, but in the ‘light, modern’ garden restaurant, where Stephan Guinebault’s menus include dishes such as loin of Purbeck venison with thyme jus or beetroot and goat’s cheese risotto. ‘Dinner was excellent, and breakfast equally good’ with freshly squeezed juices, grilled kipper, smoked fish, crushed avocado on sourdough toast. (ML, and others)